Gifts
by Golem XIV
Summary: Raven gives Beast Boy a hastily-bought gift for his 18th birthday. Beast Boy is not too impressed with it. So begins a story of these two Titans exchanging gifts and discovering things about each other; things that were always there, but that neither had the will or the desire to see, understand and accept - until the gifts. Completed.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

I want to explain what is making me write _Gifts_. As much to myself as to you. If you are not interested, gentle reader, please feel completely free to skip all of my ramblings and go directly to the story. My thoughts have no impact whatsoever on it.

That said, to business. As I have mentioned previously – both in my profile and in the Author's Notes of _All Colors or One_ – I am not a fan of Beast Boy/Raven relationships. I do, however, try to keep an open mind and if you check my profile, you'll find several beautiful stories dealing with that particular pairing I have favorited, and there are several more that I'm eagerly following. And yet I usually cringe when I see it in a story's description. So why do it? Quite frankly, I'm not certain myself.

I already wrote _All Colors or One_ as an experiment to see if I could write a decent story based on this idea, an idea I'm not too happy about. It turned out pretty good, even if I say so myself, and I am generally satisfied with it (which doesn't mean it couldn't be better). But the point is that I've been there and done that, so this is not the real reason.

What, then? Maybe I want to conform with the overwhelming majority of readers that are BBxRae shippers. Maybe I want to have more people reading my stories. Maybe I just like the challenge. And maybe I can get myself to think that there is a chance for them, but only if I do it my way. Just as our heroes will need time to really get to know and accept each other, I need just as much time to get used to the idea. So no shipping right off the bat. It will happen eventually; the story is all about that, after all; but it will happen slowly and gradually. You have been warned.

Oh, and BTW - if you're interested in my feelings about their relationship - in this story, of course - just listen to what Cyborg has to say. He and I agree completely on the issue.

Standard disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.

* * *

 **Gifts**

The preparations for Beast Boy's eighteenth birthday were one of the few things that could drag Raven out of her room. Even though she personally didn't care much about birthdays or parties, she did understand that it was an important date for her friend. She applied herself to the preparation of the decorations with zeal, soon realizing with some surprise that she was actually enjoying it.

As she floated around the Ops room with Starfire, fixing the decorations in places where only the two of them could reach, she argued with the Tamaranian about the correct positioning and orientation.

"Friend Raven, this is an occasion of the most joyous! You should not consider everything as the part of a problem of the geometric nature. Allow the decorations to fall into the place in a manner that is emotional and unplanned!"

"The only emotion I can feel right now is distaste at the lack of symmetry and order, Starfire" she grumbled, earning a reproving stare from the alien's green eyes. Noticing Starfire's gaze, she sighed and gave up the argument. It was not worth it.

"Very well, have it your way. I suppose I should bow to your experience in these things and follow your lead."

Starfire's face immediately shone with delight. She clapped her hands, beaming at Raven, saying "You shall most certainly not regret it, friend Raven! I am convinced that the result of the end shall be glorious!"

Raven still frowned grouchily at the seemingly random placement and even worse angle at which Starfire insisted that the decorations be positioned, but she followed her lead, only occasionally mumbling her mantra under her breath to move a few corners here and there so that they were not too much out of whack. She did take care to do it while Starfire's attention was occupied elsewhere and made sure that the adjustments were minor.

The two girls finally landed, their job completed, studying the result of their efforts.

"It's not that bad" Raven commented, her right hand on her hip, the head cocked, observing their handiwork with a critical eye.

"It is most wonderful, friend Raven" Starfire exclaimed, placing an arm over her shoulder and dragging her closer into a hug.

"No hugging, Star!" Raven said sharply, her empathic sense overwhelmed by the happiness radiating from the alien girl. The last thing she needed was for Starfire's strong, unbridled emotions to unbalance her.

Starfire giggled and released her hug, but still kept her arm around Raven's shoulder. Raven didn't complain any further; for some reason it did not bother her. Noting the reaction again with some surprise, she decided that it was time to meditate and think of why she's behaving in such an unusual manner. She also needed to prepare mentally for the party, when the room will be full of Titans, all radiating good cheer, joy, love and friendship. As much as they were positive emotions, they had the same disruptive effect on her as the negative ones.

"I will go to my room and meditate. When is Vic bringing Garfield in?"

"Friends Beast Boy and Cyborg will be here at the tenth hour, after they finish the watching of the movie in the theater" Starfire said. "But you cannot go to your quarters yet, friend Raven. There is much of the work still to be done!"

"There is?" Raven asked, mystified. "Robin – I mean, Nightwing – is taking care of the catering, we finished with the decorations and the cake is in the fridge already. I can't think of a single thing left doing. I certainly don't plan on cooking anything, and I suggest you refrain from it, too. Our skills in that area are somewhat… lacking."

"We have to prepare the presents for our dear friend" Starfire reminded her, flitting over to the heap of gaudily wrapped boxes of all sizes and arranging them in a pile, large at the bottom, smaller ones on top.

Raven suddenly turned slightly paler than usual. She pulled her hood up and mumbled something.

Starfire lifted her eyes and gazed at Raven with an accusing expression. "You have prepared the present for our friend, that is correct?"

Raven dropped her eyes. "Um…"

"Please do not tell me that you forgot about the obtaining of a present for friend Beast Boy!"

"No, I've… well…"

Starfire's small eyebrows shot up. "Well?"

"I was thinking of going to buy it tomorrow" Raven said lamely, not wishing to admit that, to her shame, she _did_ forget.

A fierce frown appeared on Starfire's face. _A very unusual expression for her_ , Raven thought pointlessly as Starfire placed her hands on Raven's shoulders and spoke softly.

"That is not an acceptable solution, friend Raven. We shall go forthwith to the mall of shopping where you will apply yourself to obtaining the suitable gift as the token of the appreciation for our friend."

"But I…"

"And", Starfire continued, still staring at Raven with that it-is-not-open-to-discussion look in her eyes, "you shall also find the appropriate attire in which you shall do the appearing tonight."

Raven felt a surge of annoyance. "I am not going to –"

Starfire placed a finger on Raven's lips.

"Yes, you will."

"But I need to meditate –"

"You shall place all other considerations with the lowest priority" Starfire said resolutely.

"No, I can't –"

"Yes, you can, friend Raven. Nothing is more important today than the celebration of the day of the birth of friend Beast Boy."

"But I really have to –"

"No."

"I really should –"

"No!"

"But how do I –"

"Oh, I shall be most glad to be of the assistance to you."

"I don't have –"

"I shall lend you all the funds that shall be of the necessity."

"I really –"

"Enough!" Starfire cut her short finally, grabbed her under her arm and started dragging her towards the exit. "We shall go at the immediate instant!"

The only thing left for Raven to do was to admit defeat and follow Starfire.

* * *

The annoyance Raven felt was threatening to turn into fully-fledged anger by the time they finally returned from the shopping mall. There was barely enough time to shower, dress and run to the Ops room so that they could all hide and prepare the surprise.

 _As if Beast Boy didn't know it's his birthday today. As if he isn't expecting a 'surprise' party. All this is pointless!_

She brushed her hair, thankful for her preference in keeping it short. She shuddered thinking about the amount of time Starfire must be wasting trying to control that mane of hers.

Just as she finished, there was a knock on her door. She opened it a crack and saw the Tamaranian flitting impatiently outside.

"I have come to help you with the preparations, friend Raven" Starfire said with a smile. "May I enter?"

Surprised, Raven opened the door fully and stepped back, letting the bubbly alien in.

"I see you have started the brushing of your hair" Starfire said.

"Actually, I just finished" Raven replied, still not sure what Starfire was up to. "I was about to get dressed."

Starfire looked at her, raising an eyebrow, then closed her eyes, sighed and spoke, as if to a petulant child.

"That will most certainly not do. I must remind you again that this is not the occasion of the everyday. You shall now allow me to do the preparing of your appearance so that it is within the acceptable."

Raven frowned, the annoyance she just managed to push down surfacing again.

"Starfire, I don't think –"

"I shall hear no more about it!" Starfire said with finality in her voice. "Now, let us proceed first with the dressing."

Starfire helped her into the black evening dress that she chose for Raven only an hour or so ago. It flowed to her ankles, tightly hugging her figure, while two deep slits on the sides allowed her to walk with relative ease and showed off a lot of leg. Her left shoulder was also left bare, her pale skin contrasting sharply with the black dress. Slightly uncomfortable, Raven complained again to Starfire, as she did in the boutique.

"Are you sure that these slits are not too high?"

Starfire looked at her quizzically.

"I fail to have the understanding. You usually wear the tight outfit and your legs are left in the bare state. I do not see much of the difference. This dress covers a larger percentage of the skin than your uniform."

"I know that, Star, it's just that…"

"Ah, I understand" Starfire said, then frowned. "You shall not wear the cloak tonight."

"Starfire!"

"That is my word of the finality!" Starfire exclaimed in an unusually fierce tone.

Raven sighed, again forced to concede defeat. Starfire quickly took advantage of her opponent's lack of resistance to start working on Raven's hair.

Raven had to admit that Starfire's strong but gentle hands relaxed her as she brushed and combed. She closed her eyes, grateful for the chance to calm down, focus and balance her emotions, already dreading what was approaching.

"There, I have completed the arrangement of your hair" Starfire said suddenly, startling Raven out of her peacefulness.

She opened her eyes and looked at the mirror. On the right side, the hair fell over her eye while on the left side it was gathered with an ornament in the shape of a black bird, studded with amethysts.

Raven's eyes grew wide. "Star, this is… Where did you find that? I'm not –"

"That is a small gift for you, from me" Starfire said and giggled. "And I have yet another one."

She turned around, rummaged in the bag she brought with her and turned back again to Raven.

"Close the eyes" she commanded. Raven obeyed.

She felt Starfire's hands placing something around her neck.

"You may open the eyes again" she heard.

Raven opened her eyes to see a silver chain necklace with a large, clear, beautiful amethyst set in it hanging from her neck and resting between her breasts.

"Starfire! It's beautiful!"

"Indeed it is" Starfire replied, giggling. "I have acquired it a few months ago and I intended to present it to you on the day of your birth, but this occasion is just as good!"

Raven studied the pendant and suddenly frowned, again feeling uncomfortable.

"Thank you, Star. It is beautiful and I love it. But it does draw attention to my… you know."

Starfire laughed. "That is indeed the idea behind the intent!"

"Starfire!" Raven exclaimed, blushing, refusing to believe what she just heard.

The Tamaranian giggled again, shaking her head. She embraced Raven tenderly.

"Friend Raven, you must know how to properly attract a mate. You have been without one for too long."

Raven blushed even fiercer. " _What?_ Starfire! Who –"

Suddenly, realization hit her. She gritted her teeth, trying to force her anger down.

"You planned it! All of this!" she shouted accusingly at the alien girl.

Starfire dismissed her with a wave of her hand.

"Of course! There is no better time than today to do the attracting of the mate. We shall have lots of guests, and many of them are of the considerable good looks!"

"Does Rob – Nightwing know about this?"

Starfire giggled again. "Of course not! This is a thing between the females."

Raven closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. This was getting way out of hand.

 _Just a few hours. I have to bear it just a few hours and then I'll go back to my room and get rid of this dress and the high-heeled pumps she will make me wear, and this silly hairdo, also. By tomorrow it will just be an unpleasant memory._

Clutching at those words, finding comfort in them, she opened her eyes, just to see Starfire approach with a makeup set.

Black energy flowed from Raven's eyes, creating a nimbus around her head, threatening to disarrange what Starfire had worked so hard to achieve.

"No. Makeup." Raven growled through clenched teeth.

"It is of the necessity, friend Raven!"

The nimbus around Raven's head darkened and thickened. Small white sparks started coursing through it. Her carefully made coiffure started unraveling.

"Starfire. I said, _no makeup_. Period."

The Tamaranian considered Raven's reaction and decided that it would not be worth ruining the hair styling. She sighed and nodded.

"As you wish" she said, managing to sound hurt, while she giggled inwardly.

Raven rubbed her temples, careful not to muss up her hair. She sighed, realizing she was defeated yet again.

"All right. Just a little."

 _It is interesting that the same procedures work on human females as well as the males,_ Starfire thought without letting her face show it. She also kept an iron grip on her feeling of victory, knowing that Raven would be able to detect it and realize that she had been tricked.

A few minutes later, Starfire declared Raven ready.

"You are now fully prepared. Please accompany me to the quarters of my property so that you can assist me with my own readiness."

 _Just a few hours. I will leave by midnight. Everyone will expect me to, anyway. Nobody will be surprised if Raven, the heart and soul of any party, takes her leave early._

Somehow that thought was not comforting anymore. She dismissed the feeling, reaching a decision, knowing it had to be done.

 _Let's get this done and over with._

"Lead on, Starfire."

They went to Starfire's room where the alien girl started grooming herself. Raven looked at the wall clock with some alarm.

"We don't have much time, Starfire."

"Do not concern yourself, friend Raven! I have made a… request… to Dick so that he can delay the start of the celebrations."

Raven lifted an eyebrow. "I see."

Starfire giggled again. "It is not difficult to do the manipulation of the Earthly males. You shall find out so yourself soon, I hope."

Raven blushed again. "Starfire…"

The Tamaranian waved her hair brush at Raven. "You shall not change the conviction that I have, friend Raven. You are in need of a mate. You need to feel love."

"Starfire, you know I can't!" Raven exploded, then pulled herself together. "You of all people should know what happens to me when my emotions run rampant!"

"I do. And I know that you have to at least do the trying."

Raven scowled, pushed almost to the limit. She closed her eyes, soundlessly mouthing her mantra, seeking to recover her peace and balance. As much as she was furious at Starfire for her actions, she was also deeply touched by her friend's obvious concern and wish to be helpful. The two opposing emotions fought each other until she resolutely dropped a heavy lid on them to keep them in check until she had time to meditate and deal with them properly.

A thought occurred to her. Her scowl started melting. A small chuckle shook her shoulders.

Starfire beamed at her. "I knew you would find the arrangement I made acceptable, friend Raven!"

"I was just thinking of Dick. Poor guy."

Starfire giggled. "Yes, he is most distraught when I apply the charms on him" she said as she flashed a mischievous smile at Raven. "It is a kind of power that we females have over the Earthly males, yes? And Tamaranian males, also, or so I have heard."

"So boys are boys everywhere in the universe, I guess" Raven said with a smirk. Once she had accepted the inevitability of it all, she relaxed and started to enjoy it.

Starfire placed a hand over hers. "And girls are girls. And friends will be friends, always."

Soon Starfire had finished and stood ready. "We should go and prepare for the arrival of friend Beast Boy" she said.

"Then let's go. And Starfire?"

"Yes?"

"Regarding this. _All_ of this" she said, a crooked smile appearing on her usually serious face. "There _will_ be a reckoning, you know."

Starfire returned the crooked smile.

"I would expect no less from you, friend Raven!"

Hand in hand, they flitted to the Ops room.


	2. Chapter 2

" _SURPRISE!_ " they all yelled as the door to the Ops room opened and Cyborg's and Beast Boy's silhouettes appeared in the doorframe. The light flashed on, blinding everybody for a moment, then everyone rose from where they were and rushed over to greet the birthday boy.

"Dude, this is so _awesome!_ Thanks!" Beast Boy stammered, overcame with happiness. The fact that he was quite certain that his friends had something in store for him did not detract one single bit from his joy to see them all here, sharing it with him.

It took quite a while for Beast Boy to hug, shake hands with and receive back-slaps and kisses from everyone that wanted to congratulate him. The Ops room was packed; there was no Titan left anywhere in the world that was not here, full-time or honorary. After all, it was not just any birthday. It was a _coming of age_ birthday. He shivered slightly at what he planned to do soon, but he knew he had to do it, and there was no better time for it than right here and right now.

 _Soon enough. I'll let everyone settle in and then I'll say it. It'll be soon enough._

There was only one person left that still hadn't congratulated him. He looked at Raven, standing to the side and waiting for the crowd to thin out, catching her eyes in his. He walked over to her while she floated slowly towards him.

She embraced him gently, kissing his cheek. "Happy birthday, Garfield" she said. It was only a few months since she had to start looking up to meet his eyes. He had been growing quickly and his skinny frame had started filling in as he began to take his training more seriously.

"Thanks, Rae" he replied, feeling a lump in his throat for some reason. He coughed a little to clear it. He looked at her, noticing the dress, the hair, the pendant.

"You look really great tonight, momma" he said, meaning it. She sensed his sincere admiration and smiled, looking at him beneath her lashes.

"Why, thanks, Gar. A special occasion demands a special look."

He opened his mouth to say something and suddenly found himself at a loss for words. Finally he managed to blurt out something.

"Did you and Kori place the decorations?"

"Star was the brains behind the process. I just helped."

"You can tell" he said, a lopsided grin on his face. "If it was you, all the decorations would be arranged in geometric patterns, larger to smaller. This chaos could only come from Kori's mind."

She frowned slightly for a moment, before feeling that he had no intention of insulting or disparaging either Starfire or her. But he saw her small frown, understood where it came from and his face darkened as he felt heat rising to his cheeks.

Again she gave him a small smile, reassuring him. "No need to blush, Garfield. You are right. And I think it's actually better this way."

He let his breath out slowly, only then realizing he had been keeping it in. She smirked a little at him, giving in to her usual need to sink a little barb into him.

"After all, it is _your_ birthday."

She turned and walked away to the punch bowl to serve herself some fruit punch. Years of practice in restraining and concealing her emotions helped her keep her face straight and her eyes calm and expressionless, but inside she was seething with anger at herself.

 _What in the Nine Hells am I doing? I was flirting with him! This is all Kori's fault. She filled my head with all this 'mate' nonsense._

She filled a glass and took a sip.

 _And with Garfield, of all. The last thing I want to do is flirt with him. Sweet, caring, sensitive Garfield. Immature, irresponsible, insufferable Garfield._

She sighed, took another sip and felt a presence behind her. She recognized it.

"Get lost, Roy" she growled at Speedy, without turning her head.

"Is that the way to treat a fellow Titan? Especially one that's madly in love with you?"

"You're 'madly in love' with everything that wears a skirt and most that doesn't!"

"Awww, Rae, come on! I'm a great admirer of yours!"

"Keep your admiration to yourself. The way you stare at my legs freaks me out."

"They are nice legs, you know."

She turned slowly to him. Her eyes burned white.

"Listen to me, creep. You will keep yourself far away from me or I will get angry. A lot of things can happen when I get angry. I will give you an example."

Huge, ghostly black wings formed behind her, a spectral raven's head above. Four red eyes blazed above the raven's beak, staring hungrily at Speedy. He took a step back, tripped, staggered, almost falling to the floor.

"OK, OK! I get it! Lemme go! I won't bother you any more!"

There was a general hush in the room as everybody stared at what was going on.

She slowly walked after him, the ghostly black raven floating above her menacingly. Her voice came from the raven's beak hideously changed, resonating in several different intonations, screeching in the highest registers at the same time as it was rumbling in the deepest bass. "It's too late for that, Roy. Once you wake the demon, it needs blood before it goes back to sleep. And right now the blood it wants is yours."

Speedy stumbled backwards. His hand went back for his bow, but he was in a tuxedo, his weapons stored. She advanced relentlessly towards him.

"Just a little blood, Roy. I promise I'll try not to drain you completely" she continued in that bone-chilling, multiple voice. "The more you wait, the thirstier I get."

His back bumped into a table loaded with food and drink, sending it crashing down, falling butt-down on the spilled drinks and food, a look of fear on his face. She watched him, sneering, then turned and walked away as the spectral raven vanished.

Beast Boy strode towards her, a frown on his face.

"That was not very nice, Rae!"

She dropped her gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry, Garfield. I know I shouldn't have made a scene on your birthday, but I just can't stand that creep."

"Not that!" he snapped, turning to Cyborg. "Did you get it, dude?"

"All of it, Greenbean! It's going all over YouTube as we speak!"

Beast Boy gave him a thumbs-up and a huge grin, then turned to Raven.

"That was so not fair, momma! Next time make sure you let me know so we can record it! Good thing Chrome Dome was on the ball so we didn't lose it!"

Raven looked at them, her eyes wide. She slowly shook her head. "Boys!" she mumbled to herself as she retreated to sit on a chair in the darkest, farthest spot she could find.

 _At least Roy turned out to be useful for something. Hopefully that little demonstration scared away any would-be pretenders._ A small smile appeared on her lips. _I'll catch hell from Kori for this._

She looked at her watch. _A couple of hours more. I can make it._

"Hey Rae, still with the 'lonely goth chick' routine?"

Raven looked up sharply and rolled her eyes, recognizing the intruder.

 _And I thought_ my _dress was revealing._

"Jinx. Talk about bad luck."

"That's me" the pink-haired girl said, popping a pink gum bubble.

"I've noticed."

For all the world they were polar opposites. One was calm, collected, restrained; the other cynical, extroverted, direct. It was no wonder that every time they met, sparks flew and they sparred verbally with each other with a rare viciousness. Most of their friends thought that they hated each other's guts.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Both girls were magic users, that was true. But that was also purely incidental. There was something much deeper that resonated between them from the very first day they met as friends and not as opponents on the street.

Jinx's cat-pupiled eyes made it extremely hard for her to communicate well. Humans revealed much through the eyes; they play a large role in the all-important, voiceless body talk that is always happening. It was as if Jinx was a stranger that didn't speak the local language, an alien from a world far weirder and much farther away than Tamaran. With her empathic sense, Raven did not need to understand the expression in Jinx's eyes to know what she was feeling; Jinx, for her part, had learned to read people very well as a survival technique. She was one of the few persons that could pierce Raven's cold, calm exterior and see the turmoil within. But all that was just the enabler, the thing that made it possible for them to grow very close very quickly.

While Raven carried a demonic taint on her soul, her life molded and guided by it as much as by the gentle teachings of the monks of Azarath, Jinx was a bringer of disaster, a broken mirror, a black cat, that had to claw her existence against impossible odds in the slums, being raised and formed by the unforgiving streets and human intolerance. And while this made them completely different on the outside, they both immediately recognized the darkness each carried within themselves, the doom that defined their lives, the hidden menace that both had to fight since the day they were born and that would continue to follow them throughout the rest of their lives. There was no other friend they could identify more with, no other companion that would understand them better, no other person that could look into the other one's soul and see so much of herself reflected back.

Jinx grinned down at Raven. "You lookin' good, Rae. Have your sights on someone?"

Raven frowned up at the pink girl, enjoying the game they were playing.

"If I had, would I be sitting here?"

"You could always grab him with your power and drag him over, then have your way with him" Jinx smirked, popping another bubble. "You know, suck out his life and soul, like a good demon should?"

"Who said it's a he?" Raven smiled. This kind of talk was reserved only for the moments when she was alone with Jinx.

"Oooooh, so there is someone?"

"As usual, you're reading far more than what's written. You really need to rein in your imagination."

"Maybe I know things. Maybe a little orange birdie with red feathers told me about some kind of plan that she had."

Raven rolled her eyes again. "Please, Jinx, not you, too!"

Jinx crouched in front of Raven, their eyes level and locked on each other, the perpetual sarcastic sneer she wore like armor on her face disappearing as if it was never there.

"She's right, Rae. You're what, twenty already? You need someone. You can't go on like this."

"Of course I can. I've been doing it for a while. I'm comfortable with it" Raven replied, frowning, a dangerous glint flashing in her eyes.

"Don't give me that bullshit. For all I know, you're still a virgin!" Jinx said, the sarcastic smirk returning to her face. Raven blushed deeply and opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. Jinx's eyes grew wide.

"Oh God, you are! That's… _unnatural_ , Rae. We _so_ have to find someone for you!"

Raven's control cracked for an instant. "At least I'm not a… a…"

"Go ahead, say it. I don't mind. A hooker? I'm not. The fact I like doing it doesn't mean I have to do it for a living." Jinx's eyes were inscrutable, but Raven could feel cold anger, buoyed up by a wave of shameful regret, boiling up in Jinx. "At least, not any more."

Raven's eyes dropped. She took Jinx's hand. "I'm sorry, Jinx. I shouldn't have said that."

She popped another bubble and squeezed Raven's hand.

"My fault. Shouldn't have teased you. Don't worry about it."

Raven lifted her gaze back to Jinx's eyes. "It's just that I can't. You know it. Kori knows it. I don't understand why you're insisting so much on something that's impossible!"

"Because we know you've done impossible things before, Rae."

Raven frowned again, annoyed at Jinx's refusal to let go. "It's one thing to fight an extra-dimensional demon or to imprison a powerful dragon. Fighting myself is a completely different thing."

"Again, bullshit. I may not know magic as well as you, but I do know that when you fought your fa – when you fought Trigon, you fought yourself just as much as him. And you know it, too."

A flash of yellow interrupted them as Kid Flash appeared, full glasses in his hands. He offered one to Jinx as he looked at Raven.

"Hey Rae-Rae, good to see ya! You're looking fine tonight!"

Raven scowled at him. She was glad he gave her a reason to change the subject and she pounced on it.

"Do you have any parts of him you want me to spare?" she growled, addressing Jinx. "Because the next time he calls me Rae-Rae I'm going to start ripping off pieces of him!"

"You know what part of him I want" Jinx said with a laugh. "Oh, and leave the mouth, too. He's a good kisser."

Kid Flash was grinning at Raven. "OK, I get the hint. No more Rae-Rae." The grin on his face turned sly. "How about Rave?"

Raven's eyebrow shot up.

"Ravey?"

The other eyebrow rose to meet the first one.

"I know. Waven?"

Raven looked at Jinx. "Take him away from here before I really do something we'll all regret."

Beast Boy strolled over, inadvertently saving Kid Flash from a very grim fate.

"Hey Rae, wanna dance?"

"When was the last time you saw me dance, Beast Boy?" she almost snarled at him, making him recoil in surprise. She cursed herself, trying to get a grip again. Wally's idiocy had pushed her off-balance. She realized her lack of meditation had left her more vulnerable and less able to cope with her emotions.

"Of course she wants to" Jinx interjected. "Otherwise me and Wally are going to start coming up with more cute names for her."

Raven looked at her coldly. "That was low, even for you, Jinx!" She turned to Beast Boy. "Let's go, Garfield."

He looked at her, confused, then took her hand and led her to the dance area.

"What the hell was that all about?"

"Nothing. Just me and Jinx doing our usual stuff."

"You actually like her, don't you?"

She looked at him, surprised that he knew. "I do. How did you find out?"

"I could smell it" he said, a boyish grin on his face.

She smiled at him as she allowed him to lead her in the dance.

The rhythm of the music slowed down, a more romantic piece playing. They embraced a bit closer and continued the dance.

She felt herself relaxing, the music having a calming and soothing effect on her. She could feel Garfield's emotions whirling in him. She smiled a small, secret smile, realizing that she could probably tell what he was feeling better than he could himself. There was apprehension, and joy, and love. Nothing strange there; after facing so many dangers together for so many years they all loved each other deeply. There was desire, also, but again, she was used to boys radiating such feelings towards her. Especially tonight. She even felt some coming from a few girls. She relaxed further, allowing her head to nestle on his shoulder. As she did it, she noted the flash of emotion coursing through him and smirked slightly, knowing he couldn't see her face. But the feeling was good. She whispered her mantra soundlessly, her lips barely moving, as she felt peacefulness wash over her.

"I like your smell" he said suddenly, startling her slightly.

"Hmmm?"

"Chamomile, jasmine, even a hint of mint. Must be those teas you like so much."

"You have a good nose."

"A selection of the best the animal kingdom has to offer" he said with a grin.

The music stopped and they parted.

"I'll go grab a punch" she told him as she turned to leave. She could feel his eyes on her. She gave her hips just a hint of a sway, concentrating on feeling the effect it would have on him. The smirk on her face widened as she sensed it.

She sighed. _Here I go again. I should really control myself better. But as Starfire said, it_ is _a nice feeling._

* * *

" _Really_ , Grass Stain?"

Beast Boy's head jerked around, startled. He looked at his friend, confusion in his eyes.

"Whatcha mean, Rust Brain?"

Cyborg's human eye studied him thoughtfully, none of the usual mirth and mischievousness apparent in it.

"Y'all know I've been tryin' to get yer skinny ass in gear for years, tellin' ya to find yerself a skirt to hang out with. But _Rae?_ "

"Hey, it was just a friendly dance!" Beast Boy protested, his face turning dark green.

"Looked more'n friendly to me" Cyborg smirked.

"Aw, c'mon, Pail-Head! As if I'd want to hang out with her!"

"I ain't blind, Greenbean!" he said, tapping his implant. "I know you. And I know her. Better'n anyone else, I'd wager."

"I dunno what you've been drinking, bro, but I'd say it's powerful stuff."

Cyborg looked around, making sure they weren't being overheard, then looked back at his friend.

"Gar, listen. You are the two people that mean the most to me. It's not a good idea. I don't want to see either one of you hurt."

"And _I'm_ tellin' ya you're imagining things, dude!"

"Am I? You've had a soft spot for her for years."

Beast Boy opened his mouth, an angry response ready to be spat out. He took a deep breath, his gaze dropping on the floor. "I know. But I also know it's not gonna happen" he said, looking back into Cyborg's eye. "We're just too different."

Cyborg was suddenly angry. "You don't know jack, do you? It's not that you're different. It's that you two never understood each other. Neither one of you ever even tried!" He turned around and strode off to rejoin the party, leaving Beast Boy with a stupid expression on his face.

* * *

"… and from Cyborg, a GameStation 5 X-One!"

"Aw, you know me better'n anyone, dontcha, Chrome Dome?"

"Sure do, lil' buddy!"

"From Starfire, a sweater!"

"I have made the knitting myself!"

"From Nightwing, the full box-set of Battle of the Planets! All eight movies, six TV series seasons and lots of other stuff!"

"Wooo-hooo! Binge-watch, here I come!"

"From Raven, a book…"

There was a hush. Then Cyborg laughed.

"That's like buying a Bedouin a rowboat, little sis!"

Everyone joined in the laughter. Raven felt blood rush into her face. She looked at Beast Boy.

"Hey, Rae, thanks, I guess!"

"You _guess?_ " she asked, her voice icy.

Stony faced, she floated through the door and to her room.

* * *

She levitated a couple of feet off the floor, her body in lotus position.

 _Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos…_

 _Illiterate, stupid, brainless zombie! His mind is so poisoned with TV and computer games that he wouldn't recognize a good book if it hit him on the head!_

 _Calm down, Raven. It is not his fault. You should have known better._

 _Known better? I'm trying to educate him, to make him see what he's missing, to help him stop wasting his life on idiotic games and brain-dead movies!_

 _No, what you did was buy a gift you'd like. You didn't consider what he'd like. Cyborg was right. You don't give a rowboat to a Bedouin. You don't gift suntan lotion to an Eskimo._

 _Well, for a change, he could actually try to read it! Get interested in it! Make something out of himself, and not be such a… such a child!_

 _And who are you to decide what he needs to be? Did God die and leave you in charge? Or is it your father's side talking? The one that wants everything and everyone to conform to your standards, to be what you want them to be, to deny them their own choices, for good or bad?_

The last thought made her shiver as she realized just how close to the truth it was. She took a deep breath, calming down. Tomorrow she would go to his room, ask his forgiveness and buy him whatever he would like to have, means permitting.

The decision made, she could finally concentrate and focus.

 _Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos…_

* * *

Beast Boy returned to his room as the early dawn light was slowly filtering through the window.

 _What a par-tee! I'm exhausted!_

He closed the drapes, darkening the room as he prepared to curl up and sleep. He realized he was still holding Raven's book.

 _Trust Raven to come up with a lame gift,_ he thought sourly. _Are these goddamn books the only thing she cares about? Stupid things._

He found himself getting angry for some reason.

 _Why can't she be_ normal? _You know, like Bumblebee, or Argent, or even Jinx! All she does is sit in that room of hers, reading her musty old books, meditating and wasting her life on stupidities!_

He curled the other way around, his anger not letting him sleep.

 _We all tried to drag her out of it. Me, Cyborg, Starfire, hell, even Robin – Nightwing tried. But she still insists in doing whatever she's doing, sticking her nose in a book at all times, ignoring us. Won't play stankball. Won't play volleyball, for crying out loud! Won't take part in pranks, won't play video games… Even getting her to watch a freakin' movie is an exercise in frustration!_

 _I wonder what she sees in books. There aren't even any pictures in it. Just a wall of text. How can anyone read this?_

He frowned, trying to calm himself down, realizing that he was getting all bent out of shape for nothing. It was not like it was something he shouldn't have expected from Raven.

 _She's so cute when she smiles. I wish I could make her laugh. I'd love to see her laugh._

He sighed, turning the book in his hands, looking at it. _I just wish she was different. I just wish she would share more._

He then shivered slightly as he realized what he was wishing for.

 _I guess she wouldn't be Raven any more, then._

He lifted the book to his eyes, trying to discern the letters in the gloom.

 _Oh, well. I'll give it a whirl tomorrow and see what's the big deal._

He found a funny side to that thought and chuckled, turning and curling up again, falling asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**

The music that Raven likes to listen to corresponds, unsurprisingly, to my personal taste. Duh. So does Garfield's later comment.

Some of the older among you will probably recognize Changeling's joke as coming from _The Blues Brothers_. Since that movie was made way before Garfield was even born, I am proposing that he never saw it and actually came up with the joke himself. So please don't accuse Garfield of lack of originality; the fault is entirely mine. And for those of you that never saw _The Blues Brothers_ , do yourselves a favor and watch it. It's a classic.

Finally, an apology – recently I have been blessed both with inspiration and the time to put it down in words. Unfortunately time will soon become a lot scarcer, so don't expect that I can keep up this rhythm of 2-3 updates a week.

* * *

The Tower was quiet that morning, since most of its inhabitants went to bed late – or early, depending on the point of view. It suited Raven fine. It was not common to have peace and quiet in the Tower, and she enjoyed it thoroughly, knowing it won't last long.

She busied herself making some breakfast, frowning as she realized she had overcooked the eggs again.

 _I know several languages, I can move large objects with my mind, I can understand the most abstruse spells and I can sense the innermost feelings of people. But I can't properly cook a goddamn egg._

She ate the breakfast quickly, not paying attention to the taste.

 _I can probably snatch a couple of hours of meditation before they all get up and this place returns to its usual levels or rowdiness._

She floated in lotus position in front of the huge, panoramic window, watching the sun slowly rise above the waves. She closed her eyes and started chanting her mantra, but then she realized she did not need to meditate. She was calm, at peace with herself, last night's meditation session doing wonders for her inner balance. There was a better thing that she could do.

She floated over to the console, selected the appropriate commands and then floated back in front of the window, closing her eyes as the sounds of Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto filled the room.

She listened to the music for a minute, not completely satisfied. She realized what was missing.

 _You can't listen to Beethoven softly. Let's put the Tower's sound-proofing to a test._

With a telekinetic command she cranked up the volume, the dynamics of the old composer's music finally coming into proper fullness.

For almost an hour she listened, entranced, motionless but for a slight twitch of her hand every time an especially poignant chord or emotionally charged phrase sounded from the speakers.

As her favorite and final movement came to the composer's signature ending, she slowly opened her eyes, enjoying how the music seemed to cleanse her of any trace of sadness and regret. She floated there for a few moments, debating with herself whether to continue listening some more.

 _Vivaldi? Tchaikovsky?_

She smiled. Bach's _Orchestral Suites_ would be perfect. Even if someone interrupted her, they were short and it wouldn't detract from her enjoyment. She turned to the console to input the commands and gave a startled yell, the light fixture above her suddenly bursting with a bang into a thousand sparkling, clinking fragments.

"Garfield! You startled me!"

He stood there, watching her with a strange expression on his face.

"Sorry!" he said with a smile. "That was some wonderful music, momma! Didn't know you liked music."

"I… Yes, I do, every now and then" she stammered, covering her head with her hood, trying to hide the blush that was spreading over her cheeks.

"What was that piece? I never heard it before."

"Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein conducting, Krystian Zimerman on the piano" she said, more sharply than she wanted.

"That's a mouthful."

"I guess it is, for some of us at least" she said, regretting it instantly, but he didn't seem to notice.

 _What's wrong with me? Why am I clawing at him? Is it because he startled me? Or because I have to apologize to him?_

"I love music, but I don't listen much to classical. I always thought it was stuffy."

"Your loss" she said, as she gave him a small smile to show him she was done teasing him.

For a moment he looked like he was going to ask something, but then he looked down. She sensed his shyness and understood what it was that he wanted to say.

"Gar, if you want I could recommend some good pieces for you to start with" she said.

His eyes shot up. "You would do that? I'd love it, momma!"

"What kind of music do you like? So that I can begin with something familiar."

A large grin appeared on his face. "Oh, I like both kinds. Country _and_ Western."

Raven's hand went to her mouth, her shoulders shook silently. She gazed at him with a shade of incredulity in her eyes.

"Beast Boy, you finally did it. After years of trying, you have finally made a funny joke!"

His ears perked up. "You liked it? Really?"

"Don't get carried away!" she answered quickly, still smiling at him. "It doesn't mean all the other two million jokes you want to tell me right now are even remotely funny!"

His grin widened. "I'll take a rain check, then. And by the way, it's Changeling."

"Sorry?"

The grin dropped off his face, leaving it serious. "I'm not Beast Boy any more. I'm Changeling."

She lifted an eyebrow. "Since when?"

"Since last night. I've told everybody after… after you left" he said, looking down again, his voice trailing ever softer, the last words almost a whisper.

She disentangled her legs from the lotus position, releasing the levitation and walking over to him. He started speaking in an urgent voice, his eyes still down.

"I… It's not like I was waiting for you to leave, I wanted to tell you, too, but then I put my foot in my mouth and I made you angry, and I didn't want you to be angry, I didn't want you to leave, but you left before I could –"

"Garfield."

He cut himself off, still staring at the floor.

"Look at me."

He lifted his eyes and looked at her.

"I'm sorry, Gar. The one that needs to apologize is me. I was wrong. I bought you something that I liked, not thinking about what you would like. I screwed up. I want to make it up to you. What would you like from me as a birthday present?"

He looked at her, wide-eyed. He opened his mouth, closed it, shook his head and finally spoke.

"I… I think I want to give your book a try first."

Again her eyebrow went up. "You do?"

"Yes. I promise, I'll give it an honest try."

"That would be great, Changeling" she said, a small smile lighting her face.

He smiled back. She looked at him for a moment, then turned and went for the door.

"I'll be in my room."

"Raven?"

She turned, sensing the urgency coming from him.

"Last night Cyborg said something… about us."

A frown appeared on her face. "Yes?"

"He said that we never understood each other. He said that we never even tried. I think he's right. I'd like to… do something about it."

She looked at him for several heartbeats, noting how his face was getting darker every second.

"It shouldn't surprise me that something like that came from Cyborg" she said, still frowning. She felt a wave of regret coming from him.

"Then…"

"You misunderstand me, Garfield."

"How?"

"Vic is probably the wisest one of us, me included. Not that he shows it often."

"So that means…"

"It means that I'd like it very much" she said, turned around and left the room.

* * *

The concrete monster roared as it picked up a car, throwing it at Nightwing. He rolled under the vehicle, letting it fly over his head and crash behind him as he tossed two grenades at Cinderblock.

The grenades exploded, staggering the stony creature and chipping off a few concrete flakes, but he quickly recovered and advanced towards Nightwing, just to be met with a barrage of starbolts. Cinderblock roared again, more in rage than in pain, as he bent to take another car and throw it at Starfire.

A green chipmunk dropped onto his face, clawing at his eyes, ruining his aim and making him bellow in frustration. The chipmunk turned into a blue whale, crushing Cinderblock under it and bringing him down on the ground, before morphing into a hummingbird and zooming away from the flailing concrete fists.

Cyborg jumped onto him, smashing his fist into Cinderblock's face. Stone chips flew, but the monster still wasn't out. He swiped at Cyborg, throwing him off. Cyborg flew backwards, dropping on his feet, leaving a pair of parallel furrows in the pavement as he already prepared to jump back into action.

 _Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!_ A streetlamp was ripped from the ground, enveloped in black energy, as it swung, clublike, to strike at Cinderblock. The impact threw the huge stone creature to the ground again, the now bent streetlamp spearing down towards him to strike at him again while he was on the ground. Cinderblock turned his massive body with surprising quickness and the streetlamp bounced off the pavement, twisted into a completely unrecognizable shape.

As Cinderblock got up again, a green rhino barreled into him, staggering him. The rhino turned into a T-rex, spinning around and clubbing the monster with its massive tail, staggering him again.

"You're blocking my aim, Greenbean!" Cyborg shouted as he tried to position himself better for a sonic blast. The T-rex ignored him, morphing into a green triceratops and slamming into Cinderblock yet again.

"Changeling, you're in our way!" Nightwing shouted, angry at him for being careless. Raven floated to the side, trying to see better, Changeling's bulk obstructing her sight, too. She saw Cinderblock´s huge fist raise and shouted a warning.

"Beast Boy, look out!"

The green triceratops glanced back at her with a reproachful look in its eyes, just as the monster's fist slammed into its side and threw it, all ten tons of it, into the wall of a nearby building. The wall collapsed but the building held. The dinosaur morphed back into Changeling's human form, shaking his head, gulping for air, wincing at the pain.

Black mist enveloped Cinderblock and lifted him off the ground, then smashed him through a concrete wall, leaving a huge, gaping hole in it. Suddenly he burst through the building's third floor, still enveloped in the black aura, to crash forcefully onto the ground, leaving a huge crater. But Raven wasn't through with him. Eyes burning white, she lifted her hands again, pummeling Cinderblock against another building, leaving another yawning hole in the wall, then finally bringing him up and slamming him yet again into the ground, burying the huge creature halfway into the pavement.

Cyborg strode over to where the monster lay, his concrete fingers twitching feebly.

"He's out" he commented dryly, turning towards Changeling.

Raven was already there, a grim look on her face, checking Garfield for damage. His expression was sheepish and he avoided looking into anyone's eyes.

"Y'all don't have to show off, y'know? We are a team, after all" Cyborg said angrily.

Nightwing came over, his face furious. "That was stupid, Changeling! What are you trying to prove?"

" _Enough!_ " Raven shouted, looking at them, her eyes blazing. "He screwed up. He knows it. You don't need to rub it in!"

She put his arm around her shoulder and helped him get up. "I'll take him to the infirmary. You deliver Cinderblock to the authorities and meet us in the Tower."

Without waiting for them to respond, she released her soul-self and the ghostly black raven enveloped them both, taking them to the Tower. Cyborg looked after them, a small, worried frown on his face.

* * *

"Cyborg's right. I was showing off."

Raven was silent, busy connecting him to the medical monitors, arranging the pillow beneath his head.

"Rae?"

She ignored him, still busy fussing around him.

"I know I acted stupidly. I put myself in danger needlessly. I put all of you in danger."

She continued to ignore him, taking readings from the medical monitors, reviewing the X-rays, looking in a cabinet for painkillers.

"Raven, please, talk to me…"

She finally looked at him. "I'm not angry at you" she said, her eyes belying her words. Then her gaze softened and she walked over to sit on the bed beside him, taking his hand.

"All right, I am mad at you. And the others are, also. You did a stupid thing, but you realized that you did. Case closed."

"It's not!" he said suddenly, the vehemence in his voice startling her. "It's not the first time. It's not even the hundredth time! I don't know why I do it, but I can't help myself!"

She studied him carefully, noting how the anguish in his eyes complemented what was already flowing from him. "That's a battle that you must fight alone, Garfield. You'll always have our love and our support. But in the end it's you that'll have to come to terms with yourself."

She rose from the bed, heading for the door. He called after her.

"Rae? Hang on a second, willya? I had something for you."

She turned around, her eyebrow rising in puzzlement. He put his hand in his pocket, searching, wincing at the pain coming from his side. Finding what he was looking for, he offered it to her.

"What's that?"

"A flash drive."

She frowned. "I can see that."

He grinned. "It's a selection from my music library. Some tunes I like and I wanted to share with you."

Both of Raven's eyebrows were now way up. She approached and took the flash drive.

"There's one thing more, beside my music collection" he said, still grinning.

"And that would be…?"

"Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto in C minor, Opus 37, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Karl Böhm directing, Maurizio Pollini on the piano" he said, smiling at her. "I find Zimerman almost… metronomic. I prefer Pollini."

She looked at him, blinking. After a few moments she pulled herself together.

"Thank you, Garfield. I'll make sure to listen to it" she said in a slightly hoarse voice, then turned and left the infirmary.

He watched her as she left, his grin huge.

* * *

She was sitting cross-legged on the couch in the Ops room, reading a book, when Cyborg walked over and lowered his massive bulk beside her.

"How y'all doin', little sis?"

She lifted her eyes from the book and looked at him.

"I'm fine."

He sat there, silent, not looking at her.

"What is it, Vic? I can feel this is not a social visit. I don't even have to be an empath to see that."

He turned his head and looked at her.

"I'm worried. I tried to talk to him, but he's not someone that listens much to reason. So I guessed I should try talking to you."

She reached out, took a page marker from the coffee table and placed it between the pages, closing the book and laying it down.

"I don't see what's there to talk about."

"You know how much I care for both of you" he said quietly.

"I do. Right now it's overwhelming. It's making me uncomfortable. What did you want?"

"Don't play coy with me. You know very well what I want."

"You're seeing things, Vic. There's nothing going on."

"Same answer he gave me. But as I already told him, I'm not blind! Do you think I missed your reaction when Cinderblock injured him?"

She looked at him, frowning.

"Vic, you're wrong on several levels. First, any affection I may have for him is purely friendly. Second, as much as I like him, I can't see myself falling for someone with his… character. Finally, even if the previous two were wrong, I couldn't do it. I can't risk loving anyone, no matter what Starfire wishes."

"I hope you're right" he said softly, then shook his head, pain and regret visible in his human eye. "No, I don't. I don't know what's right any more."

She placed her hand over his metallic paw. "Look, you just –"

"I don't want to see any of you hurt!" he interrupted her, his gaze boring into her. "I don't want to have to choose sides, Raven!"

He rose from the couch and strode away. She looked after him for a few seconds, then shook her head, picked up her book and continued reading.

* * *

"How is he?" Nightwing asked as he sat down beside her.

She closed the book again. "I see you've all banded together to deny me my reading today" she growled.

"I'm sorry, what?"

She sighed. "Long story. Forget it."

"So, how is he?"

"He'll be fine. Hairline fractures on two ribs and hematoma. I've fixed the fractures, but he should be on light duty for a few days."

"I see. No lasting damage?"

"None, except hopefully to his pride."

He chuckled. "You were right, you know."

She looked at him, puzzled. "About what?"

"About him knowing he screwed up. You could see it in his eyes. But I was so concerned… so angry at him. I had to snap at him."

"I guess we all were" she said quietly.

"Yes" he said, but she realized he wasn't really listening to her.

"You know, he reminds me of myself as I was years ago. I was trying so hard to prove myself to Batman that I made the same mistakes that he is doing now."

"And Batman is a harsh teacher, I guess" she agreed, more than anything to encourage him to keep talking. This was a precious moment.

He nodded, not looking at her, reliving his past.

"That's why I was so angry at him. I don't want him to make the same mistakes. I don't want him to feel that he has to prove himself to us. We all love him the way he is. He has nothing to prove."

"You should really tell all this to him" she said softly.

"There is a small boy in there" Nightwing continued, still not listening to her. "A small boy that wants desperately to be a man, but at the same time he's terrified of it. So he retreats into pranks, and dumb jokes, and all sorts of childishness. And yet he yearns to be seen as a man, as an adult, as an equal."

Nightwing shook himself out of his reverie. "Anyway, thanks for filling me in. Keep him in the infirmary for the next three days and then we'll see if he can come back to normal duties."

"I will."

Nightwing rose from the couch and left. Raven stared at the pages of the book, not seeing the words.

* * *

It was very late at night and the Tower was eerily quiet. He couldn't sleep. He was bored. None of the games on his tablet had any attraction right now. He could not stand listening to any more music. The web sites that he frequented held no appeal. He sighed.

An idea came into his mind. He toyed with it for a few minutes, then discarded it. He would have to go to his room, and if they discovered him walking around the hallways when he was supposed to be resting in bed, healing, he'd get in deep trouble.

But as usual with him, the very idea of doing something he shouldn't held an undeniable appeal. He pushed the idea firmly from his mind, only to have it sneak back in after a few moments. He turned in bed, wincing at the pain in his side, burying his face in the pillow, trying to force himself to sleep.

But he knew it was a losing battle. It was lost from the moment the idea formed in his head. Sighing, he swung his legs over the side and got up gingerly, steadying himself, waiting for the dizziness to pass. He then snuck quickly towards his room. Once there, he picked up the book Raven had gifted him and soundlessly padded back to the infirmary.

Back in the bed, he turned on the bedside lamp and opened the book.

 _'A Wizard of Earthsea'. The title sounds promising,_ he thought as he started reading.

* * *

She walked into the infirmary and saw him reading the book. _Well, well. There are still miracles left in the world,_ she thought as a smile lit up her face. Then she noticed the circles beneath his eyes and the redness in them and she realized he had been reading all night. The smile disappeared, replaced with a scowl.

"I'm glad you liked the book, but you will now stop reading and sleep!"

He looked up from his reading, surprised. "Rae? Hi! What time is it?"

"It's half past eight, Changeling. It _should be_ time to wake up. But for you, it is time to sleep!"

"Whoa, momma, I had no idea! I kinda forgot myself while reading!"

The smile returned to her face. "Yes, it can do that to you."

She sat on the bed beside him, gently took the book from him, placed a page marker where he left off and laid it aside on the table.

"You must sleep, Garfield. Your body needs sleep to heal properly."

"Sure, momma!" He yawned, then cringed as the pain reminded him why he was in the infirmary in the first place. "You're right. I'm exhausted."

"Sleep well, Garfield."

"G'night" he said, already dozing off.

She sat beside him for a minute more, waiting for his breathing to become soft and regular. She closed her eyes, sending her soul-self into him, making sure the fractures have closed and were healing properly and that the hematoma was draining well. Finding everything as well as could be, she retrieved her power into herself and rose carefully so as not to wake him. She cast a final glance at him, leaving the infirmary and closing the door.

Almost immediately, she ran into Cyborg. He was on his way to the infirmary to visit his friend. Raven blocked his path.

"He's sleeping, Cy. He didn't sleep well last night. I don't want you clanking around and waking him up."

"Good morning to you, too", he frowned at her.

She frowned back at him. "Good morning."

"Why didn't he sleep well? How is he progressing?"

"He's doing fine. The fractures are closed and the hematoma is draining away. In a couple of days he'll be running around again."

"Why didn't he sleep?"

She avoided Cyborg's eyes. For some reason she didn't want to tell him why.

"I don't know. It's not important. The important thing is that he's sleeping now, and he should remain so."

Cyborg looked at her, his gaze penetrating. He then relaxed, smiled and said "All right. Let's get some breakfast. I'll make you waffles."

"Mmmmm. Waffles!"

They walked together to the Ops room. She sat down at the counter as Cyborg busied himself preparing breakfast. Soon, a large plate of waffles was dropped in front of her, Cyborg's face grinning at her. She smiled at him gratefully and dug in.

"Rae, I was thinking…"

"Don't" she said, her mouth full. "Let me finish first."

He smiled and nodded, going back to make more waffles for the rest of them.

She finished breakfast, sighed contentedly and looked at him.

"Vic? Garfield told me something that he heard from you the other night. At the party."

Cyborg turned to face her. "Yes?"

"You said that Gar and me – that we didn't understand each other. That we never tried to."

"That's right."

"You were right, as usual. I think I should make the effort. See what's inside him. Would you mind helping me? You're his closest friend."

He gazed at her, a concerned frown on the human half of his face.

"You're treading a minefield, little sis" he said softly.

Her eyebrow went up. "I think we went through this already."

"We did. And we got nowhere."

She sighed. "Vic, I'll not spar with you. Either help me, or don't."

He suddenly smiled. She could feel his concern abate, his joy grow. It puzzled her.

"What?"

"Nuthin'. I'll help y'all gladly. Whatcha wanna know?"

They spoke quietly for a while, until the others joined them.

* * *

Raven sat on the couch, the book in her lap forgotten as she watched Starfire flit around the room.

 _She's been avoiding me since the party. Something's eating her. I thought she'd be angry at me because of what happened with Roy, but she's… apprehensive?_

As the minutes ticked by, Nightwing left to continue his work and Cyborg excused himself to go tinker with the T-car. They were alone. Raven could feel Starfire getting even friskier. It was starting to become bothersome.

 _Let's get this out in the open and see what in the Nine Hells is going on._

"Starfire" she called out, eliciting a startled yelp from the alien girl. "What is it?"

"I… do not understand, friend Raven. It is nothing" She forced a smile out. "Is it not a glorious morning?"

"Starfire, you were always incapable of hiding your emotions. Something's eating you. What is going on?"

"I am… not certain I wish to do the talking about it."

Raven rose and floated over to Starfire, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Star, I'm your friend. You can tell me."

The sudden explosion of anguish, shame and regret bursting from the Tamaranian almost staggered her.

"No! I do not wish to do the talking! Please leave me to the loneliness!"

Starfire turned from her and walked towards the door.

 _She's walking?_

The door shone with black light for an instant. Starfire noticed it and turned towards Raven, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Please, friend Raven…"

"You're not getting out of here until you tell me what's going on" Raven said mercilessly.

Starfire turned her back on Raven, hugging herself.

"I feel too much of the shame to be able to tell you, friend Raven."

Raven sighed. She would have to do it the hard way. She walked to Starfire, placed both hands on her shoulders and turned her around. The alien avoided her eyes.

"Please do not have the anger for me, friend Raven. I did the most terrible thing."

"Star – Koriand'r. You are my friend. Friends do not get angry at friends."

She immediately felt it was the wrong thing to say. Starfire's misery only deepened. Raven winced inwardly, realizing that she needed to handle it in a very unpleasant way.

"What did you do, Koriand'r?" she asked in a cold voice. She felt Starfire's hurt at her coldness, but at least her anguish and shame subsided a bit.

"I… made the mistake."

"What mistake?"

"At the… celebration of friend Beast Boy – friend Changeling's day of the birth!"

"Yes?"

"I was… We were waiting for friend Changeling and Dick was doing the review of the catering, and I was by the mine of the self, and then friend Speedy came and started the conversation with me…"

 _Oh, sweet Azar preserve us._

"Friend Speedy, he was... he gave me several of the compliments on my looks and my attire, and he..."

 _Dammit, Roy, you know she's off-limits! What were you thinking?_ Raven seethed.

"... he spoke some more with me, and I realized he was doing the hitting on me..."

Suddenly it dawned on Raven where Starfire was going with her story. As much as she understood the Tamaranian's anguish and grief, she felt an urge to giggle, certain that she knew what was coming up.

"… and then I had the fear that Dick would feel the jealousy and be angry at me for having the words with friend Speedy, and I remembered that you were looking for the mate…"

" _I_ wasn't looking for a mate, Koriand'r. _You_ were looking for a mate for me" Raven interrupted her, barely able to keep laughter from her voice. Starfire ignored her, too immersed in her own self-loathing to notice.

"… so I told friend Speedy that you had… that you felt the liking for him…"

Raven gripped Starfire's shoulders hard, both to calm her down and to keep herself from dissolving with laughter and smashing all the windows in the room in the process.

"You told Roy I had the hots for him?"

Starfire nodded vigorously, tears splashing from her eyes.

"You sent Roy over and then I turned on him and drove him away, so now you're blaming yourself for it?"

Starfire nodded again, her eyes cast down.

"I have ruined the chances you had for the finding of the mate, friend Raven! I feel so much of the shame and the sorrow! I beg of you to give me the forgiveness!" she cried as she burst in a fresh shower of tears.

With supreme effort, Raven contained the urge to bend over laughing. She hugged the Tamaranian fiercely.

 _Poor Starfire. She doesn't realize that Roy would have approached me anyway, sooner or later. Nothing would have changed._

"I forgive you, Starfire" Raven told the alien girl, trying hard to keep her voice serious, knowing how important it was to her.

She could feel Starfire's shame and anguish dissolve, her joy bursting forward in an uncontainable explosion.

 _Oops. I may have made a mistake._

She was correct. It was difficult to say which was more overpowering – Starfire's bone-crushing hug or the blast of relief, joy, happiness and love that overwhelmed Raven's empathic sense. She concentrated on handling the feelings first, hoping that her ribs and spine would resist a few seconds more before snapping.

"Calm… down… Star… I… must… breathe!"

She felt both Starfire's hug and her emotions diminish to a more tolerable level – like staring at a welding arc after looking at the sun for a while. It was still blinding, but slightly less painful.

"It's all right, Star. Calm down. Relax."

"Oh, friend Raven, truly you are the best and truest of friends! I shall forever be in the debt with you!"

"That's what friends are for, Koriand'r. And now I need you to do me a favor."

"Anything, friend Raven! You only need to do the asking!"

"I would like you to come with me to the shopping mall. I need to buy a few things."

For the first time since Starfire knew of herself, she was struck absolutely and utterly speechless. All the different emotions that recently came down on her so heavily and so quickly one after the other overwhelmed even her happy soul. With a look of amazement still glowing in her eyes, she followed Raven to the shopping mall.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

Man, it's really flowing out. The story's growing on me and I'm quite happy how it's unfolding so far. There's also a bunch of faves and follows, so apparently I am doing something right. Thank you for reading so far.

Oh, and please do leave a review. I need your input. So get your fingers twitchin' and let me know what you think.

* * *

A few uneventful days passed. Changeling was back on normal duties, only an ugly, discolored bruise reminding him – together with a dull ache – of the error he had committed.

He woke up late, as usual, and went to the Ops room, looking for breakfast and company. His friends were all there, already finishing their own breakfast. Wishing all a good morning, he strolled to the fridge and opened it, starting to rummage inside.

Soon his searching became more urgent, almost frantic. He finally straightened up, his face dark, staring at Cyborg.

"All right, Rust Brain. Where's my tofu? And my soy milk!"

"No idea whatcha talkin' 'bout, Evergreen" Cyborg said, his face the image of innocence.

"Aw, c'mon, Chrome Dome, where'd ya hide 'em?"

Cyborg looked at the ceiling, his lips puckered, whistling soundlessly. Changeling morphed into a bloodhound and started sniffing around, until he finally found the missing food, tucked beneath the counter. He morphed back into his normal form, the tofu and soy milk in his hands, frowning.

"They stink of bacon! What didja do, Bolt Bucket?"

"Just something to spice 'em up, Pea Soup!"

Changeling was getting angry. Cyborg had stepped over the line.

"I can't eat this now, Cy!"

"Why not? I'm certain it tastes a lot better'n before!"

"I do not eat meat!"

"Bacon's not meat, it's a taste enhancer!"

It went downhill from there, the two of them arguing ever more heatedly and loudly.

Raven frowned. She actually enjoyed the feeling of friendly banter they were radiating until a few moments ago, but once it turned into an all-out feud, she felt it affecting her inner peace.

"Will the two of you just _shut up?_ " she said forcefully, interrupting them. "Or at least keep it quieter!"

"Shut up? He ruined my food! I have no breakfast left! I'll have to go buy more, and he'll just… _poison_ it again!"

" _Poison?_ Is that what you're calling a little bit of honest-to-God bacon? When you insult my bacon, you're insulting me!"

They turned on each other again, completely forgetting about Raven. She sighed, rose from the couch and went to where Changeling left the tofu and soy milk.

" _Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos_ " she whispered. Black mist formed around the food containers and seeped into them. She looked at the quarreling duo and called out.

"Changeling." He ignored her, still arguing heatedly with Cyborg.

"Changeling!" she tried again, louder, with the same results.

" _Changeling!_ " she shouted finally, her eyes kindling into white flame. Two black, disembodied hands appeared, picked each one of them by the scruff of their necks, lifted them up and turned them towards her.

"I have cleansed your food. Would you mind _shutting up_ now? Both of you?"

They both looked at her, surprised, glared at each other and then nodded to her sheepishly. The black hands dropped them and disappeared. Changeling walked over to where the food was, still glaring daggers at Cyborg over his shoulder. He morphed into a hog, sniffed the food carefully and turned back into a human.

"Hey momma, you're right!" he exclaimed, joyful. "I can't smell it any more! Thank you!"

"You're welcome. Now let me read in peace."

Changeling was, however, too happy with the outcome. He was having none of that. He grabbed her in a hug, lifting her off her feet and kissing her cheek.

"You're the best, Rae! Thanks again!"

He put her down and turned to his precious tofu and soy milk, happiness radiating from him in sickeningly sweet waves.

She felt her cheeks burn. She lifted the hood over her head, hiding her blush, touching the place where he kissed her.

 _He's worse than Starfire!_ she thought, a mix of anger and gladness rushing through her.

A sudden suspicion formed in her head. She whirled to look at Cyborg, catching his eyes just before they darted away from hers and before the smug grin on his face disappeared.

She strode over to stand before him, her fists on her hips, her voice dangerously low.

"You _planned_ all this? You _knew_ this was going to happen?"

He looked at her mildly. "Y'all seem upset, little sis. Anythin' ah can help y'all with?"

"Cyborg…"

"Ah'm jus' glad y'all found a solution to the problem" he drawled with a saintly expression on his face.

Her eyes narrowed. "First you're concerned, now you're playing matchmaker. What's the idea? Why the about-face?"

Cyborg shrugged, the Buddha-like expression on his face never wavering. "People change, little sis. You may say I had me a… revelation."

"Revelation? Are we talking about a Tamaranean revelation? Am I sensing an orange hand behind this?"

He smiled at her and shook his head, chuckling. "Nah. I'll bring in the big guns later if the need arises."

Raven's words hissed softly but menacingly through her clenched teeth. "Victor Stone. You will listen to me now. You will cease and desist with this foolishness. At once. Or else. Do I make myself clear?"

"As you wish, Rae."

She stared at him, making sure he meant it before she left, trailing her fury behind her.

Cyborg chuckled soundlessly again.

 _No need to do it in any case, little sis. You're managing fine on your own._

* * *

She retreated to her room and meditated, trying to make sense of what she felt.

 _It was… nice._

 _You're walking a dangerous path, Raven. You'd better watch your step. Cyborg warned you the other day. He was right. It's a minefield you're in._

 _No, I don't think so. In any case, I can take care of myself._

 _Famous last words?_

 _It was just a peck on the cheek! I can't go on living in terror of any show of kindness from my friends!_

 _Yes you can, if the kindness leads to other things._

 _Well, then, we'll just have to make sure it doesn't, now, won't we?_

 _Are you sure you will be able to?_

 _Of course I am sure. I have managed fine all these many years. I can keep my feelings under control. There is nothing to fear, because nothing is happening._

 _So what now? Do I go on with what I planned?_

 _Absolutely. Getting to know him better should only help make things clearer. If I don't understand him, how can I understand my feelings?_

 _So it is decided, then. Good._

 _And it_ was _nice._

* * *

 _I hope she didn't realize how quickly I dropped her after I hugged and kissed her. I hope she didn't misunderstand me. I hope she didn't feel how… afraid I was._

 _Why am I ashamed that I gave her a small kiss on the cheek? Not that I went for her lips, you know._

 _But you wanted to._

 _Of course not! Not at all. Well, maybe. A little. Yes._

He shook his head.

 _I should not think such thoughts! She's just a friend!_

 _So, are your eyes attracted to your other friends like a compass needle to the magnetic pole? I don't recall you feeling an urge to look at Cyborg. Or Nightwing. Or even Starfire, for that matter._

 _She's got beautiful eyes. Deep, violet, glowing eyes._

He slapped himself in the face. "Knock it off, Garfield!" he growled at himself.

 _And she really smells nice._

* * *

She paused in front of his door, hearing the sounds of a guitar coming from within.

 _He must be listening to music. Maybe I shouldn't bother him now._

She realized part of her didn't really want to knock on the door. She sighed. She would have to use the mirror again and have a nice, long conversation with her different aspects. Grey and Purple were really starting to get tiresome lately.

She knocked. The music stopped and Changeling opened the door. He was holding an old, beat-up guitar in one hand.

"Hi Gar. I've brought you – was that you playing?"

He grinned at her. "Yep, I like strumming a bit every now and then."

"I didn't know you played the guitar, Garfield. And from what I've heard, you play quite well!"

He blushed slightly. "Uh… thanks! Do you want to come in?"

"Sure, I – GAH! What is that _smell?_ "

"Hmmm? Oh, you'll get used to it. I don't even notice it any more."

"Garfield! I'm not entering that room without a hazmat suit! It's disgusting!"

"But –"

"No buts. Ugh! I'll go to the Ops room. Meet me there."

She stormed off. He watched her go, face and ears glowing dark green.

He followed her and caught up with her in the Ops room. He sat beside her on the couch, pouting.

She looked at him and suppressed a wish to giggle.

"I'm sorry, Garfield, but I just don't understand how you can stand that stench. It smells like a pigsty that's in a lion's den inside a stable!"

He tried to keep his pout on but failed, chuckling first, then giving in to laughter.

"That's because it is. And you forgot the chicken coop."

Raven laughed. One of those very rare, very precious moments when Raven really laughed. Not smiled, not chuckled, not snorted, but simply laughed. He looked at her, angry at his eyes for misting over, wanting to remember this moment for the rest of his life.

 _I did it. I finally did it._

It was not particularly strong, nor did it last very long. It wasn't even very romantic, Raven's low, almost gravelly voice far from being musical. But it was the most beautiful laughter he had ever heard.

Raven shook her head slowly, allowing her mirth to dissipate. She felt a bit strange. She avoided laughter just like any other strong emotion, but this wasn't strong; it was simply… relaxing. Pleasant. Overwhelmingly so. There was no danger of broken windows or smashed furniture. It was something new for her. She finally stowed it all away, to meditate on it later.

She turned to Changeling and smiled warmly at him.

"I had something for you, Garfield" she said.

He looked at her, thankful that the last few seconds she appeared unaware of his inner turmoil, allowing him to get a grip on his exultation and hide it deep inside, where she couldn't feel it.

"What is it?"

"Have you finished the book?"

"Sure, the night before last."

"Right on time, then. Here are the next three books in the series" she told him, a mischievous glint in her eyes, offering him a wrapped package.

She felt the surge of joy in him as he yelped happily. "Rae! That's wonderful! You mean there's three more books with the same… the same guy?"

"Exactly" she said, amused by his enthusiasm.

"That's great! Do I have to read them in a specific order? Which is the next one?"

"I'll show you later. Right now I have something else for you."

"Yes? What?"

She held an envelope between her index and middle fingers, showing it to him.

" _Suicide Squad_ preview screening. Two tickets. Friday night."

His eyes widened alarmingly.

"Ra… Raven… how… where…"

"We're the Titans, silly. I made a phone call and the studio rep was tripping all over himself to get the tickets to me."

She lowered the envelope, offering it to him

"So, who are you taking with you? Cyborg?"

He took the envelope gingerly and looked at her, knowing immediately who he wanted to go with. "I'd love to, but I'd prefer if… you… could go with me."

She lifted an eyebrow, but her eyes sparkled.

 _Perfect. Just as I had planned._

"Me?"

"I know you're not much of a movie person, but I'd really like… to go with you."

She made a show of thinking it over.

"All right, under two conditions."

"Agreed, whatever they are!"

"Don't be so hasty. First, I got the tickets, so you will have to take care of the dinner after the movie."

He blinked. "Dinner?"

Again she felt the urge to giggle and fought it down.

"Yes, dinner. Restaurant. Food. You and me. After the movie."

"Agreed!" he said quickly. "What's the second one?"

"Second… Clean up that room of yours and get rid of that stench!"

"You drive a hard bargain, momma" he said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Is that a yes?"

"As Starfire would say, 'Most definitely!'"

They sat for a while, chatting and planning their Friday evening, then they both fell silent, simply enjoying each other's company.

"So, how did you like Pollini?" he asked her suddenly.

She looked at him, smiling. "Too mushy."

He grinned at her. "Yeah, I figured you'd like Zimerman better. He should be playing dance music with that staccato sound of his!"

Her first reaction was to frown, then she realized he was teasing her. "And Pollini makes Beethoven sound gushier than Tchaikovsky!"

He laughed. "He does! That's why I like him!"

She smiled at him, basking in the feeling of happiness flowing from him. Then she remembered.

"Speaking of Tchaikovsky, I've got your assignment here."

"Assignment?"

She dug up the flash drive he gave her previously and offered it to him.

"Violin Concerto in D Major. Two versions. Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman. Knock yourself out."

He grabbed the flash drive eagerly. "Oh yeah. Come to poppa."

"You seem to be getting into it with both feet" she commented, her smile growing a bit wider.

He looked at her, grinning, then his face became serious. "I'm still amazed to realize what I was missing. I may never have discovered it if it wasn't for you. I'm in your debt, Raven."

He rose and left. She looked after him, a pleasant, warm feeling spreading through her chest.

A large, shadowy figure watched them from the doorway, silhouetted in the gloom, but unnoticed.

 _Yes, you're doing just fine on your own, little sis._

* * *

Changeling knocked on Nightwing's door. It quickly opened.

"Gar? Good to see you. Need anything?"

"Um, yeah, can I come in? It's a bit…private."

Raising an eyebrow, Nightwing let him in and closed the door.

"Have a seat and let's hear it."

"I need some advice. I first thought of asking Cyborg, but he'd probably not take it seriously, and start joking around, and this is a serious matter and I need help because I'm not sure how to do this, you know, I've never –"

"You're not making sense, Gar" Nightwing interrupted him. "Calm down and start from the beginning!"

Changeling took a deep breath, forcing calm on himself. "You're right. My mouth is running faster than my brain."

Nightwing smiled encouragingly. "Just take it easy and one step at a time."

Garfield grinned and started his story.

"OK, this is what's happening. I'm taking Raven to a movie and dinner on Friday night, but I don't know any nice restaurants, so I wanted to ask you if you could recommend any. It should have vegan food, of course, or at least vegetarian… Nightwing? Dick? Are you OK?"

Nightwing's mouth was open, his eyes staring at Changeling.

"Dick? Is something wrong?"

Nightwing picked his jaw off the floor and rubbed his eyes.

"I... I'm sorry, Gar, something came over me. I don't think I got that. Can you pass it by me again?"

"Sure. As I said, I'm taking Rae to the movies –"

"You have a _date?_ With _Raven?_ "

"It's not a _date_ " he said defensively, frowning. "We're just going to see –"

"Gar, taking a girl to movies and a dinner is the textbook definition of a date!"

"Yes, but…"

"I'm sorry, Gar, this is just so… unexpected. So you and Raven are going out on a date – sorry, going out to see a movie and then to have some dinner on Friday night, right?"

Changeling nodded.

"And you wanted to ask me if I knew any nice restaurants that you can take Raven after the movie, correct?"

"You got it right, dude!"

"I think I can help you" Nightwing said, a huge grin starting to expand in his face. "Let me check out some places and I'll set it all up for you."

"Thanks, dude! You're the best" Garfield said happily. "Oh, just one more thing!"

"My lips are sealed, Gar. Not a word to Starfire or to Cyborg!"

Changeling grinned, nodded and left his room.

* * *

"So, how'd you like the movie?" he asked her as they ate.

She smiled at him. "I actually enjoyed it a lot."

He returned her smile, then lifted an eyebrow. "That's great, but certainly unexpected."

"It's a mindset question. I went to see it with an open mind, taking it for what it was and not for what I wanted it to be."

He grinned. "Just like one should do with people" he said.

Surprised at his words, she nodded. "Exactly."

He looked down at his food. "You know, Rae, when I decided I wanted to get to know you better, I had no idea it would be so…. pleasant. Every day I learn something new about you is a wonderful day for me."

She looked at him, startled. He was blushing, still staring at his dinner.

"Garfield, that's a very nice thing to say –"

"Please don't interrupt me" he told her forcefully, still not meeting her eyes. She made herself fall silent and listen.

"I know I haven't been… the best friend for you. I've said nasty things to you. I thought that you were cold, creepy, rude, unfeeling. I just wanted to tell you that now I realize I was a jerk. And that I want to apologize to you. And thank you for putting up with me all this time."

There was a strange sound around him. He looked up, surprised. Her eyes were closed, her lips moving soundlessly. He searched for the source of the sound. On the table, their glasses and plates were vibrating forcefully, threatening to burst into a thousand fragments any moment.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the vibrations ceased, the glasses and the plates coming to rest. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"You shame me, Garfield."

"What? No, I… Rae, I'm sorry, I would never –"

She placed her hand on his.

"What you just said. I'm just as guilty of it as you are. You know it."

"Not true, momma! I know you wouldn't –"

"But I did. Don't deny it, you know as well as I do that it's true."

He looked down at the table again.

"Maybe we can leave it behind us? Chalk it up as a learning experience?" he said, lifting his eyes to look at her again, eager, hopeful.

"That's a wonderful idea, Gar."

He smiled, relieved and happy that she agreed with him. She returned his smile, then frowned.

"I'm sorry, Gar, I'm not… feeling very well. I need to meditate. Can we go? I'm really sorry for cutting our evening short, but I really have to –"

"Don't sweat it. I had a fantastic time." It was his turn to frown. "I'm just sorry you didn't."

"Who said I didn't?" she asked, a crooked smile on her lips.

* * *

"Come on, Rae! Nightwing's busy and we need a fourth!"

She looked up from her book and lifted an eyebrow at Cyborg's insistence. Starfire joined her friend in the pleading.

"Please join us in the game of volleying the ball, friend Raven! We cannot play with the two against the one!"

She shook her head and returned her attention to the book, not even bothering to answer. A shadow fell on her.

"C'mon, Rae" Changeling said quietly. "Give it a five-minute try, just to see if you like it or not."

She frowned at him. "I don't _need_ to try" she growled.

"Please?" he said, turning into a kitten and looking at her with adorable eyes.

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "All right, you win."

"I knew you couldn't withstand the power of Cuteness!" he said, turning back into himself and grinning.

"Don't push it. Boys against girls?"

"We're gonna so _own_ you two!"

"We'll see about that. How about a small wager?"

"Name the stakes, little sis" Cyborg said with a smile.

"Twenty four hours without video games if we win."

"Twenty four hours without books if you lose" Changeling said, a grin on his face.

"That sounds more like a bet between just the two of you" Cyborg said, then realized they weren't listening. He glanced at Starfire, noticed her giggle behind her hand and turned his attention back to Raven and Changeling. They were staring at each other, defiant smirks on their faces.

"I'll savor every minute of your distress, Changeling" Raven said. "Let's see what you've got!"

"Oh, yeah, momma. I'll love to see you squirm. You are so on."

"All right, you all know the rules" Cyborg said. "Limited use of powers. Changeling can morph, you girls can levitate and fly. No teleporting of the ball, Raven!"

"You're no fun, Cyborg!"

He grinned at her. "No changing of the ball's speed and direction, either."

"Can I banish Changeling to the Seventh Pit of Hell?"

"Nope, that would be interference with the opposing team" Cyborg said, deadpan.

"OK, let's do it!" Raven said. They split up and started the game.

Starfire served first. She rose up in the air and sent a sizzling ball streaking down over the net. Changeling morphed into an orangutan and used both long arms to intercept it, then morphed back into himself, blowing onto his reddened wrists. Cyborg jumped and slammed the bounced ball into the girls' court.

Raven dove and rebounded the ball up in time, pulling back to allow Starfire to volley it at the boys. Cyborg caught it, but he was just a split second late and the ball went off sideways. A green falcon streaked after it, turning into an utahraptor and spinning in mid-air to hit the ball with its tail back to the girls, switching to his original form as he dropped down. But his strike came from relatively far and Raven had time to levitate up and slam it down over the net. Cyborg dove, trying to intercept it, but he was too late. The ball bounced off the ground, Cyborg's armor screeching as it scraped on the Tower roof's concrete floor. The advantage was with the girls.

"Ha ha! Eat our dust!" Raven exclaimed, enjoying herself. Starfire clapped her hands happily.

The game went on, the opponents evenly matched, the result seesawing from one side to the other. But it slowly drew to an ending, with a match ball for the girls in play.

A green gorilla served the ball, sending it whistling over the net. Raven caught it, bouncing it up for Starfire to smash it into the boys' court. Cyborg received it, Changeling pumping it up just over the net for Cyborg to slam it down. Raven flew to intercept and both her and Cyborg's hand hit the ball at the same time.

There could be no contest between flesh and metal. Cyborg's strength prevailed easily and the ball went over the girl's court, but Raven's interference caused it to go slightly up first. Starfire pounced on it and volleyed it over the net towards Changeling.

But Garfield was not looking at the ball. As Raven and Cyborg hit the ball at the same time, the momentum and brute force of the metal man's strike turned Raven head over heels, making her sense of direction spin and her levitation falter. She dropped heavily on her feet, one leg twisting as she fell with a painful cry.

Changeling rushed over, concerned, ignoring Starfire's volley and forfeiting the match. He knelt beside Raven and looked at her face anxiously, seeing how she frowned as the pain from her ankle reached her brain.

"You OK, momma?"

"I think I twisted my ankle" Raven said, grinding her teeth against the pain.

"I'll take you to the infirmary" Changeling said, scooping her up in his arms and heading for the roof entrance.

"You don't have to carry me, Garfield" she said, smirking at him, even though her ankle hurt like hell. He ignored her, his strides long and urgent. Starfire's eyes were wide. She clasped her hands and opened her mouth, when a glare from Cyborg silenced the joyful shout she was about to voice.

Cyborg put his index finger over his mouth, a fierce scowl on his face, then winked at Starfire. She looked at him, not understanding at first, then smiled widely and nodded vigorously. They watched as Changeling left the roof with his burden in his arms.

"We must keep quiet or we'll spook them" Cyborg explained to an excited Starfire. "Just pretend that there's nothing out of the ordinary. Can you do that?"

"It shall be difficult, friend Cyborg, but I shall make the utmost of the efforts!"

* * *

Cyborg examined Raven's ankle as gently as possible, but he couldn't avoid bringing out a wince of pain on her face. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Changeling's fingers twitch as he saw it. Cyborg smiled to himself.

"Just a twisted ankle. No big deal, but you'll have to take it easy for a few days, little sis" he said. "Do you want painkillers?"

"No." she replied. "The pain is not that great and I prefer not to cloud my mind."

Cyborg wrapped an elastic bandage around her ankle to keep it in place until it healed. "You're all set, but don't use that leg for a couple of days."

Thanks, Cy. I'll be in my room."

"I'll take you!" Changeling blurted out.

"I can fly, Garfield" she told him, smiling. His face darkened.

Cyborg cleared his throat. "Well, off with you then. Let me know if you notice it swelling or if the pain increases."

Raven levitated up and floated to her room, Changeling in tow. They went silently, she floating, he walking beside and a bit behind her. They reached her room. She opened the door and went inside, turning around and looking at him with a raised eyebrow, a crooked smile on her face.

Changeling made to enter her room, then realized what he was doing and stopped himself. He looked at her, unsure of himself.

"I… um… if you need anything…"

"Shut up and come in, Garfield!"

He snuck in quickly, as if afraid she would change her mind. She smiled again and closed the door, floating to her bed. She sat on the bed in lotus position, flinching as the ankle felt some weight on it again. Seeing her grimace, Changeling stepped towards her, then checked himself.

She looked at him, a small frown forming on her face. "Stop fussing over me like a hen" she told him crossly. "It's just a twisted ankle!"

He morphed into a big green hen, flapping its wings and clucking, then morphed back, grinning. His grin suddenly melted as he finally allowed his concern to show.

"I'm sorry, Rae. I can't but feel responsible. I made you play and you hurt yourself."

"You made me play and I enjoyed it. The small accident was because of my carelessness, not because of anything you did. So stop blaming yourself."

"It's just…" his eyes widened suddenly. "You enjoyed it?"

"Of course. It was… exhilarating. I wasn't aware that a little physical exertion could be so pleasant."

His grin was huge. "That's fantastic, momma! Maybe you'd want to try –"

"Garfield!" she interrupted him, her voice suddenly icy.

He swallowed. "Uh… What?"

"I draw the line at having filthy underwear thrown at me. So don't even think of it."

His face darkened again. "Uh… yeah. I see what you mean." His face cleared up and a smile lit it up. "Can't blame me for trying!"

She returned his smile. "Of course not. Now leave me, I'll be fine."

"OK. If you need anything, just call me."

"I will, Gar. Thank you."

He turned to leave, but she called him back suddenly.

"Changeling? What will you do now?"

He turned, slightly confused.

"I was thinking of playing _Mega Monkey 4_ with Cyborg."

She flashed a malevolent smile. "No, you're not. At least not until tomorrow."

He frowned at her.

"You are _cruel_ , momma!"

She smirked. "It's my demon half. Just so you don't forget it."

He laughed. "Maybe I can catch up on some reading" he said.

"I have a better idea. Why don't you go and bring your guitar and play a bit for me?"

He looked at her, incredulous, blinked a few times and then turned, running off for the guitar.


	5. Chapter 5

_I hope she likes it_ , he thought to himself as he clutched the package to his chest, feeling his apprehension grow.

 _I hope that dude didn't just take me for a ride and fed me a bunch of bull._

He reached her door and took a deep breath.

 _Here goes nothing._

He knocked and the door shone with black light for an instant, opening. He stepped into the gloomy room.

"Rae?"

"Over here!" he heard her voice. He could barely discern her in the darkness, her blue cloak almost invisible in the shadows.

"I'm sorry, I can come back later if…"

"You're not interrupting me, Gar. Sit down and tell me what brings you here."

"I… have something for you."

"Again? You don't need to shower me with gifts, you know."

"It's just a couple of small things. Call it a… a repayment for your kindness. I hope you'll like them."

"Well, I'm certainly not complaining. What is it?"

"OK, first this!" he said as he gave her a tastefully wrapped package. She unwrapped it to find a luxuriously bound book inside.

"Dostoevsky's _Crime and Punishment?_ A fantastic choice, Garfield. I read it a couple of years ago, but I'll gladly read it again. Did you choose it yourself?"

He grinned. "Frankly, no. But the guy said that no matter who it was for, I couldn't go wrong."

"He was right!" she said as she studied the binding and the paper. "This couldn't have been cheap, Garfield" she said softly.

"I… um… it wasn't that much, really. And I don't need much money. I've saved some."

"Gar, I don't know if I can accept this…"

"No, Rae, really, it wasn't that much! Please, it would mean a lot to me."

She looked at him, sensed his anxiety.

"Thanks, Gar. This is really a wonderful gift!" she said and bent over to kiss his cheek.

He was thankful that the gloom made it difficult for her to see his deep blush.

"I also… have these," he said, holding an envelope between his index and middle fingers, just like she did before.

"Oh? And what may that be?"

" _Carmina Burana._ Premiere. Two tickets for next Friday."

She looked at him, her eyes glowing in the gloom. For a moment she was silent, then a small, playful spark ignited in her violet orbs.

"That is so nice of you. I bet Starfire will be thrilled to go with me."

He felt an icy hand grip his heart.

"Starfire? I… Yes, of course. Of course she will. I hope you girls have a great time."

Raven chuckled and put her hand on his cheek. "Oh, Garfield, you're so easy to tease. I wouldn't think of going with anyone except with you."

"You mean… you would? I… Great, thanks!" he stammered.

He was silent for a while. "You knew I hoped you would ask me, didn't you?" he said finally, a sense of amusement pervading him.

"Of course. Subterfuge is not one of your talents."

"Then you also must know that this time the dinner's on you!" he told her, a crafty grin on his face.

"Sneaky!" she said, smiling at him. "I may have underestimated you."

He rose to leave. "I'm really happy that you like it, Rae. I'll leave you now. It's late. Good night."

"Thank you, Gar. For the gifts and for your company. Good night."

* * *

It was still early morning and the Tower was quiet, even though not all of its occupants were asleep. A visitor to the Ops room would have been greeted to an unusual sight. There was certainly nothing strange about seeing Raven floating a couple of feet off the floor in lotus position, facing the large panoramic window, greeting the sun rising from the waves, meditating. It was seeing Starfire, floating beside Raven, also in lotus position, eyes closed, lips barely moving as she softly intoned Raven's mantra.

As the sun emerged fully and initiated its inexorable path across the morning sky, Raven opened one eye and looked at the Tamaranian. She pondered something for a while, opening her mouth to speak, then thinking better of it; shifting slightly her position, squeezing both eyes shut, then opening one eye again and studying the alien girl through it. Finally, she reached a decision, opened both eyes and spoke.

"Kori?"

Starfire cracked an eye open, looked at the sorceress.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if you could come with me to the mall and help me buy a few things."

"I will be most happy to provide the help!" Starfire told her, smiling. "What is it that you have the necessity for?"

"I need a dress for a… I'll be going out soon and I need something to wear." Raven admitted, flustered.

Starfire opened both eyes and gazed at her friend, forcing the merry giggle in her throat down with all her might.

"You have being keeping the secrets from me, friend Raven!" she told her with a small hint of accusation. "I know you do not frequent the mall of shopping, and yet this is the second time in only a few days that you have requested the assistance from me."

"I… I just need to buy a dress. I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of it!" Raven stretched her legs to the floor, released the levitation and started pacing around the Ops room.

 _Meditation is supposed to relax me, calm me down. Why am I so nervous all of a sudden?_

 _Because Star will immediately start seeing things. Things that are not there. She will think that something is happening, and nothing is._

 _So? Just explain it to her. It is nothing more than two friends going on a date –_

She shook her head. _What am I thinking?_

She dismissed the previous thought angrily.

 _Nothing more than two friends going out to see a show. And I want to look nice. What's so wrong about it?_

Starfire waited patiently, watching Raven pace the room. The sorceress stopped her walking and turned to the Tamaranian, her decision reached.

"I am going with Garfield to the premiere of _Carmina Burana_ on Friday. I need something to wear for that evening" she said, looking at Starfire, her gaze defiant.

"I see" Starfire said, still fighting the giggles that were rising from her chest.

"You see what?" Raven growled, frowning, already on the defensive.

"I see that you wish to be properly attired for the occasion," Starfire said mildly as she floated closer to Raven, a green glow appearing in her eyes.

She took Raven's hands in hers and looked at her.

"I know what the thought in your mind is now," she said softly. "I offer you the apology for my previous behavior. It was not the place for me to do the interference in your personal life."

"I… It's OK, Starfire. I know you do it out of friendship and that your intentions are the best."

"I shall then make you the proposal, friend Raven!" the alien girl said, still holding Raven's hands and gazing in her eyes.

"Proposal?"

"Yes. I shall cease with the intents of finding the mate for you, and I shall give the utmost of the efforts not to do the jumping at the conclusions. But I wish for something in the return."

"And what may that be?"

"Only for you to have the honesty with me," she said softly, her green eyes holding Raven's in an unbreakable lock.

"That… certainly sounds fair."

"Glorious!" Starfire exclaimed, clapping her hands. She looked at Raven expectantly. "Now please do the confiding in me. The going out with friend Changeling has maybe the romantic significance, yes?"

Raven scowled at her.

"Starfire, you just said…"

"I am only doing the asking!" Starfire cut her short gently. "I shall keep by the terms of the proposal, but I require to know the thoughts that you have."

"Well, if you put it that way…"

Starfire nodded, encouraging Raven to proceed.

"There's nothing _romantic_ about it. We're just going to see a show and I wish to look nice for the occasion."

"That is understandable, and it is in the commonest of the senses. But there is the story of the extensive length behind, yes?"

"Um… no. No, that's about it."

"Now it is you that is not keeping with the terms of our agreement, friend Raven!" Starfire said playfully. "You have not told me the entirety. There are much more of the happenings occurring, correct?"

 _Why not?_ a voice said in Raven's mind. _Not that there's anything to hide._

"You are right, Starfire. You see, it all began at the party…"

Raven levitated again in lotus position, facing Starfire, the words coming now easily out, coaxed gently by the alien's calm interest. She gave her the full story; the gifts, the time she and Gar spent together, the movie and the dinner. She only left out some of the more personal things that Garfield and she exchanged.

"That was a story of much niceness. I give you the thankfulness for the confidence. I shall be its keeper most fiercely."

"It's not a big secret, Starfire. I just don't want you or the others to start thinking there's something going on, because there isn't."

"Of course, I have the fullest of the understandings. But to return to the matters at the hand, will you be requiring the assistance for the styling of your hair on the night of the Friday?"

Raven pondered. "I don't see why not" she replied, then looked at Starfire with a slight frown. "Just don't go overboard like last time."

"I shall endeavor to do it most subtly!" Starfire said, beaming. "Will you also wish to use the pigments for the making up?"

Raven's frown deepened, but then she relaxed. "Why not? A little can't hurt."

"Glorious! I shall have everything in the readiness for the occasion, friend Raven. You shall not have to worry about anything."

"Thanks, Star" Raven said, moved by the Tamaranian's joy. "I'll go get ready and we can leave for the mall."

As she was about to leave the Ops room, Raven stopped and turned, looking at Starfire.

"Kori? One… one more thing."

"Of course. What is it that you wish?"

"I was wondering if... you think I should… you know, my hair… let it grow a bit longer?" she asked, feeling blood rush to her face for some reason.

"I think it would most definitely increase your already considerable beauty, friend Raven!" Starfire replied with a smile.

"I… Thanks, Star" Raven stammered and turned, leaving quickly, her face red as a beet.

Finally alone in the room, Starfire could release the giggles she had been forcing so hard down all the time.

 _Oh, friend Raven, how happy I am for you!_

* * *

"You look… _stunning_ , momma!" he exclaimed sincerely as he took her in. The dark blue dress was almost severe, and it fitted her figure just as well as her personality. The amethyst resting on her chest set off her eyes and hair while matching shoes and purse completed the outfit.

"Why, thank you! You look great yourself, Gar" she smiled as she wrapped her arm around his.

"Thanks. I'm still getting used to this, though" he said as he ran a finger inside his shirt collar, trying to relieve the unpleasant feeling. "These ties are damn uncomfortable."

"Don't get me started on these high heels" she said, her smile widening. "Shall we?"

"Sure. The limo is waiting."

"Limo?"

"Hey, why not go in style, y'know?"

She placed a hand over her mouth, her shoulders shaking slightly. "You're absolutely right. Let's go."

They arrived and Changeling led her into the theatre and up the stairs, to their box. A small frown appeared on Raven's face.

 _A box? This must have cost a small fortune! Oh, Garfield, you sweet fool!_

She cleared the frown from her face, realizing he may misunderstand it, and gave him a warm smile.

"This is a good spot, Gar. Excellent choice."

He grinned. "I wasn't able to get the House Box, but I hope this is good enough!"

She snorted. "Garfield, the House Box is for visiting royalty and dignitaries. You can't buy it."

"Hey, you said it yourself! We're the Titans!"

"Dream on, Changeling!" she said with a chuckle. "Gar, these are more than good enough. Just sit back and enjoy. I know I will."

He flashed her another grin, then relaxed into the chair, just as the sounds of tuning instruments started floating up from the stage.

The lights dimmed and the curtain raised. An explosion of sound rocked the building, sending the orchestra and the choir bowling over, staggering and falling, the curtains fluttering, frightened screams coming from the audience.

"None of that fer you lot! I'll show you some real music! The sound of _CHAOS!_ "

Another devastating riff sounded, spreading fear and panic. The audience rose and ran for the exits.

Raven's eyes blazed with white fury. "Punk Rocket just made a big mistake."

Changeling said nothing, his face expressive enough, contorted in a mask of rage. He turned into a bald eagle and swooped towards the stage to face the intruder.

Spiky, dirty ash-white hair framed a pockmarked face with thick lips. An unpleasant face. It was grinning ghoulishly now, reveling in the chaos it was sowing. Punk Rocket was waiting for them.

"This one's fer you, mate!" Punk Rocket shouted as he saw the green eagle swooping down on him. A destructive chord leapt from the guitar towards the bird, but it changed into a thirty-foot green anaconda just before the wave of sound hit it.

The huge snake fell through the sound blast seemingly unaffected, quickly coiled itself and delivered a heavy blow using its head as a battering ram, slamming straight into Punk Rocket's chest. He was thrown back, his guitar falling from his hands. The guitar was enveloped in a black mist, becoming alive, following Punk Rocket and smashing him on the head. He dropped down, unconscious. The mist thickened and the guitar disintegrated, crushed beyond recognition.

The anaconda reformed into Changeling, walking across the stage to stand above Punk Rocket.

"Snakes are deaf, dude!"

Raven floated down beside him, frowning. "Not really, Garfield. You took a risk."

He flashed her a grin. "D'you really think he knows that?" he asked impishly.

She smiled at him. "You're right. Let's see if we can go back to our evening."

Someone clapped. More people joined. They both turned, surprised, looking at the audience. Soon a loud applause was greeting them, punctuated by shouts of "Bravo!"

They both blushed, glanced at each other, then turned back to the audience and bowed. The applause and cheering thundered on for quite some time. They bowed a last time and retreated backstage.

"It was certainly a good performance" Changeling smirked. "Quick, efficient and with minimum damage."

Raven nodded, chuckling. "They'll probably start the main event soon. Let's find our box."

A man ran after them, shouting, his breath short. "Miss Raven! Mr. Logan! Please!"

They turned to face the small man that just reached them and stood panting, using a handkerchief to wipe his sweating brow.

"Miss Raven, Mr. Logan! We are so grateful to you for saving tonight's performance! Most grateful! Please follow me!"

Puzzled, they followed him as he wound through backstage, obviously knowing his way around it. As he led them, he kept thanking them and assuring them of his and the theatre's undying gratitude for their timely intervention.

"I hope the performance has not been called off, Mr…"

"I am sorry, my manners have suffered from this disgraceful event, they have suffered! Samaranis, Georgios Samaranis, I am the manager!" he gasped, still winded. "Of course it will not be called off. Not by the likes of _him_. Not while there are people like you to protect our beautiful city. Not called off, most certainly not."

He went on in that vein, leading them to the foyer and then up the stairs. He paused in front of a door and unlocked it with a key hanging from a large bundle. He opened the door and bowed, inviting them in.

"Please, Miss Raven, Mr. Logan. Do us the honor of using our House Box this evening. Grant us this honor."

Raven's eyebrows shot up. "Mr. Samaranis, that is very kind of you, but we couldn't –"

"Please, Miss Raven, the House Box is empty, and I would be amiss in my gratitude if I didn't offer it to you. I would be sorely amiss!"

"Well, if you insist…"

"I most certainly do. And please, any refreshments that you may desire, just let us know. On the house. Any at all."

"Thank you kindly, Mr. Samaranis."

"Please, it's the least I can do. The least."

They allowed him to lead them into the House Box, fussing around them for a few seconds and making sure they were comfortably seated. Changeling took hold of Samaranis' arm and whispered something in his ear. The little man nodded vigorously and retreated.

Soon a waiter entered soundlessly, almost startling them, wheeling a cart and leaving a silver plated bucket of ice with a bottle of champagne in it. Raven looked at it, then looked at Changeling. His grin was huge.

"Garfield, we are not of age!"

"I won't tell if you don't!"

She frowned at him, but her frown melted quickly. "All right, but no more than one glass each. I don't want to have to carry you home. And remember that we still have dinner after this."

* * *

It was already late when they arrived at the Tower. Changeling yawned and stretched as they walked into the deserted Ops room.

"What a fantastic evening! The show, the dinner… We even got to kick some butt!" he said as he turned around to her, grinning. His eyebrows went up. Raven wasn't there.

"Rae? Where are you?"

He looked into the hallway they just came from but couldn't see her.

 _Guess she went to sleep. I know I could do the same._

 _But why didn't she say good night?_

 _Maybe she did and I didn't hear._

"No matter" he said aloud, yawning again. "Time for bed."

He headed towards the side door when she phased in from above, startling him.

"There you are! I was looking for you!"

"I went to check something. Come with me" she said, offering him her hand.

Slightly confused, he took her hand. She chanted her mantra and pulled him upward through the ceiling and onto the Tower's roof.

It was a beautiful night, the moon almost full, the sky cloudless. A gentle breeze blew from the ocean bringing the tang of the sea with it. She guided him to the edge of the roof, folded her legs in lotus position and hovered an inch above the concrete floor.

"Sit" she said quietly.

He sat on the edge, his feet dangling over.

"Rae, what –"

"Hush."

She floated closer to him and looked into his eyes.

"I thought much about what present to give you to repay you for the wonderful things you've gifted me" she said softly. "But there was nothing I could think of that would even come close to what you did for me."

"Raven, I –"

"Don't say anything. Listen. I tried hard, I really did, but I couldn't think of anything. And then I realized I was thinking of material things. The only gift I could give you was something that could not be bought, something that could not be made, something that could only be experienced."

"What –"

"Shhhh. This is my gift to you. These moments. This place. This view. This night."

She turned and looked over the waves.

He wanted to say something, but he knew that words would only dispel the magic of the moment. He gazed at the ocean, allowing the calmness of the sea to permeate his being, opening himself to the joy of being here, now, with her. He placed an arm around her and gently pulled her closer. She wrapped her own arm around his waist and lowered her head on his shoulder. They both enjoyed the moments, silent, happy.

After a long – or short? – while she rose and looked down at him.

"It's late. Thank you for a wonderful evening. Garfield. Good night."

"Good night" he said, getting up and turning to her. "Rae?"

"Hmmm?"

"It was the best… the most beautiful gift anyone ever gave me. Thank you."

She smiled, touched his face with her hand and nodded, then phased through the floor, leaving him alone.

His hand went to his cheek, where the memory of her touch still burned. He sighed and headed for his room.

* * *

"These new developments are extremely interesting, Monsieur Mallah" the metallic voice rang as the two strange figures observed what was happening on the roof of the Tower, courtesy of miniaturized spy drones.

"We may have found a weakness" the gorilla rumbled, his bestial face hiding the thoughts of his enhanced intellect.

"Indeed. My preliminary calculations indicate that we can use the shapeshifter to trap and destroy the sorceress" the artificial voice droned, devoid of emotion. "Once that is achieved and the two of them are eliminated, the rest of the Titans will be easy prey!"

Two more figures emerged from the shadows to join them. "Divide, trap and destroy. My favorite game" General Immortus said. "My troops stand at your disposal, Brain."

"I must give this issue further analysis, however in the first approximation I can say that this must be conducted in a more… personal manner. Much better suited to your talents, Madame Rouge."

"Contributing to zere destruction vill be… satisfying" she replied in her heavily accented voice, an evil smile playing on her lips.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:**

Raven visits Nevermore in this chapter. You will find this Nevermore and its inhabitants a bit different than in the show. Raven's aspects are much more intense and focused on what they represent. I may be risking the anger of some purists among you, but this is the way I see how Nevermore should be. In any case, your comments and opinions are welcome.

* * *

Changeling snickered as he pulled the half-empty ketchup bottle out of the fridge. He placed it on the counter, perking up his ears, trying to hear if anyone was approaching. Satisfied that for the moment he would be left alone, he removed a small flask from his pocket and looked at it. Warning signs were plastered all over the tiny container, almost obscuring the brand of the product.

 _Two million on the Scoville scale. Chrome Dome's head's gonna melt when he gets a taste of this!_

He unstoppered the flask and carefully poured the contents into the ketchup bottle, mindful of not spilling it or getting any on his fingers.

 _Gotta remember to wash my hands properly when I finish. This is nasty stuff. If I forget and rub my eyes…_

Replacing the cap on the ketchup bottle, he shook it vigorously to make sure it was well mixed. He made to place the ketchup back in the fridge, then thought better of it.

 _Someone may try it before I have time to spring it on Rust Brain. I'd better keep this with me._

He cleaned up carefully after himself, removing any traces of his interference. Finally satisfied, he snuck out towards his room.

 _They say revenge is a dish best served cold. But Bolt Bucket's gonna get it reeeeal hot._

He reached his room and entered it.

 _I should continue cleaning up. I did promise Rae I'd do it._

It was a monumental task but he worked on it with determination, knowing Raven would be happy that he was fulfilling his promise.

Time passed as he toiled. After a couple of hours he was just about to call it a day when Cyborg's voice came out of the hallway.

"Pizza time, Evergreen! Hurry, or we'll eat your part, too!"

"Coming!" he shouted back, his lips curling into a malevolent smile. He picked up the ketchup bottle and walked to the Ops room.

"So, where's my tofu-cheese veggie extravaganza?"

"Here ya go, lil' buddy" Cyborg said, handing him a pizza box. "Enjoy it!"

The others joined and they all ate, trading the usual over-dinner banter. Finally, the moment that Changeling was waiting for came.

"Where's the ketchup? I need ketchup!" Cyborg said, searching the table for it.

"Here ya go, Chrome Dome" Changeling said, quickly offering the doctored ketchup to Cyborg.

"Thanks lil' buddy! You're a real pal!"

A pang of conscience speared through him, but the oh-so-expected sight of Cyborg drowning his pizza slice in ketchup and lifting it to his mouth was so riveting that he ignored it. He was so intent on seeing Cyborg's reaction that he failed to notice the ketchup bottle being enveloped in a black mist, rising from the table and floating over to Raven.

Cyborg stuffed the entire slice, dripping in the absurdly hot ketchup, into his mouth. Changeling watched, his mouth open in anticipation.

Oh, it was everything he could have hoped for. Cyborg suddenly stopped chewing, his face growing darker, his eye bulging out. He jumped up, gasping, running for the kitchen sink, spitting the half-chewed pieces of the pizza slice into it as he wrapped his mouth around the kitchen tap. A combination of gurgling and moaning came from him as he tried to drink and scream at the same time.

Changeling was already bent over laughing, completely consumed by the hilarity of seeing Cyborg trying to ease the burning in his mouth. The laughter brought tears flooding into his eyes.

" _Azar!_ What is this?" Raven's painful cry burned through his mirth, leaving him suddenly icy cold. He gasped, whipping his head around, just to see Raven soar up from her chair and float quickly to the refrigerator. Her face was unhealthily flushed and her eyes had a dangerous red glow to them.

She ripped the fridge door away with her power, the contents cascading out until she found what she was looking for. Grabbing a glass from the counter, she filled it with milk with shaking hands, spilling a lot of it on the counter and the floor, and gulped as much as she could from it. Her features, painfully twisted, slowly started relaxing. She spat out the milk, took another large sip and headed for Cyborg.

She pried Cyborg from the kitchen tap using her power – it was impossible to do it otherwise – and gripped his shoulder hard.

"Vic, you need milk. Water is no good. Splash this around your mouth. Do not swallow" she said, pressing the half-empty glass of milk into Cyborg's hands.

Cyborg took the glass urgently and emptied it in one huge gulp. He swirled the milk around his mouth, feeling the burning slowly dissipate.

Raven refilled the glass and repeated the procedure several times both on her and on Cyborg. The flush on their faces slowly lessened and their pain-filled expressions were gradually replaced by something else.

Changeling looked at them and realized just how much trouble he was in. He bolted for the door and ran to his room. Cyborg's anger he could handle, it was not the first time they pranked each other, sometimes even viciously. But the look on Raven's face reminded him of the one he saw on her when Doctor Light pushed her almost to the limit a few years ago. He did not want to be around her until she had time to cool down and calm to something more manageable, like a simple towering rage.

Cyborg bounded after Changeling, the human half of his face contorted in anger.

"I'll getcha for this, Pea Soup!" he shouted as he disappeared through the same door that Changeling used to leave hurriedly the premises.

Nightwing and Starfire glanced at Raven and rose from their chairs, intercepting her as she floated silently but menacingly behind Cyborg, leaving a trail of blown light fixtures in her wake. Nightwing grabbed her arm, stopping her, and spoke to her urgently.

"Raven, you must calm down. Please. If you go like this you will hurt him. Calm down."

She looked down at him, her eyes burning red, two small red slits just visible over her eyebrows. She snarled and lifted her hand, then realized what she was doing and gasped, the slits above her eyebrows disappearing, the red glow leaving her eyes.

"I… You're right. Thank you, Richard. You're right. I would. I'd... I'd never forgive myself."

"You must calm down, friend Raven" Starfire told her gently, placing her hand on her other arm. "Do you wish for me to accompany you to your quarters?"

"Yes… Yes, please, Kori. I'm sorry. I... I don't understand why I got so angry with Garfield. It was just a prank. It was just a prank."

Starfire cast a quick, questioning glance at Nightwing. He nodded, almost imperceptibly. She took hold of Raven's hand and guided her to her room.

* * *

The meditation helped her calm down and recover her inner balance, but it did not give her any answers. For that she had to do something else.

She took the mirror and gazed into it. A reddish-black portal opened above the mirror. Without hesitation, she stepped through.

Raven knew exactly where she was going. She exited the portal in a place of order and symmetry, the sky and ground partitioned in geometric forms, meshing perfectly with each other. There was no loveliness here, except for the intrinsic beauty of mathematical forms and perfect geometric shapes. She took it in, liking it, and walked towards the only building in sight.

It was done in a classical architectonic style, like a Greek temple. Tall, fluted columns supported a triangular entablature, similar to the Parthenon. She walked up the steps and reached the top. She was waiting there for herself, her yellow cape gathered around her, her eyes looking tiny behind the heavy glasses she wore.

"I need to talk to the others" she said to Yellow.

"You should talk to me, too" Yellow replied.

"You are the one I most often present to the outside world, and the one I most frequently consult. Why do we need to talk now? Do we not talk all the time?"

"We do talk, but often you do not listen" Yellow said, unperturbed. "But we can talk to the others first. Maybe that will convince you. Who do we start with?"

"Red. I want to get the most unpleasant one out of the way first."

Yellow lifted her eyebrow. "Very well. Remember that your interactions with us here are not like normal conversations in the real world. You are in your mind, and it influences everything, including us and you. It will affect what you hear and how you hear it, and it will affect how you understand it and what effects it will have on you. Finally, it may affect your later recollection of what we talked about and what was said."

"I know all that" Raven replied impatiently. "This is not my first visit, you know."

Yellow shrugged, then nodded. Colors swirled around them.

The change in scenery was disturbing. Sharp iron spikes rose from the ground instead of trees, the stony ground uneven, cracked and littered with crushed obsidian rocks, their edges sharp as broken glass. It was dark, the only illumination coming from a lurid red glow that suggested lava flows close by.

They approached a stone cliff, its sides smooth as glass, its edge cruelly sharp. She was chained to the cliff with unbreakable crystal chains, constantly jerking at her restraints with furious movements, her four eyes blazing with infernal light, her red cloak fluttering around her.

"Kill him! Tear his limbs off one by one! Claw his eyes out, rip his throat, drink his blood!"

Raven frowned. She did not often visit her aspects, and she always avoided visiting Red if at all possible. The primal hatred and rage that lived in her always made her feel soiled.

"Why do you want to hurt him?" she asked Red.

Red jerked at her chains again, her four eyes glaring malevolently.

"He insulted me! He _toyed_ with me! He laughed at me! I will burn him! Break him!"

Raven scowled. Garfield's prank was directed at Cyborg, that was obvious to her from the start. Either Red misunderstood it, or...

"He did no such thing. I want to know the real reason!"

Red gave a mighty jerk to her chains while snapping her triangular, serrated teeth at Raven.

"Because I will have the power. Because he will set me free. The others will set me free. And then I will crush you, and I will crush him, and I will crush all of you!"

This was unsettling.

"Who will set you free? What power will you have? What are you talking about?"

"I will break free. The others will help. And he will help. Oh, they all will. And then I will have power, and I will take you, and I will make you mine, and I will use you to _burn it all!_ "

Raven turned to Yellow. "What does she mean with 'he will help?'"

Yellow shrugged. "You know her better than I do."

"Look, if she's talking about Trigon, we need to know!"

"I don't think she's talking about Trigon."

Red continued to yank at her chains and scream threats and obscenities. Raven observed her, disgusted at seeing what she carried inside.

"We won't learn anything here. Let us go."

"Where to?"

"The Labyrinth."

Colors swirled again as they stepped into the Labyrinth. The maze stretched endlessly. Raven knew it also changed constantly; there was no way of solving it, no way of leaving it unless its only inhabitant led them out. She shivered. It was always a risk to come here.

"We won't find her standing here" Yellow said. Raven nodded and started walking. The direction was unimportant. If the Labyrinth's inhabitant wanted them to find her, she would allow it. If not…

They walked silently for a while. Raven thought she heard a small whimper. Knowing she almost reached her goal, she turned a bend and saw herself huddled in a dark, blind passageway. She was trying to pull her grey cloak around her, as if she was looking to hide in it, to use it as armor against the world.

She approached Grey slowly and carefully. Yellow stayed behind, knowing that crowding Grey would only make her disappear in panic, meaning that they would have to wait until she would consent to appear again.

Raven whispered comfortingly at Grey. "Shhhh. Calm down. It's me, you know me. I won't hurt you."

"B-but you almost did… Red almost got loose… I'm scared."

"Calm down. She's still chained. Don't worry. Everything's fine."

She approached Grey and knelt down beside her, careful not to touch her or otherwise spook her, all the time whispering comforting words, trying to calm the skittish aspect down.

"Hey, calm down. I just wanted to ask you a few things. I promise I won't get angry at you."

"Y-you promise?"

"I promise."

"All-all right."

"I just wanted to know why you have been so active lately. You are suffering, I want to know why and try to help you."

"If I t-tell you, you won't like me" Grey whispered.

"I promised I won't get angry at you" Raven said softly, forcing down her frustration, knowing that showing it would also spook Grey. _Anything_ could spook Grey. After all, she represented her own insecurity, her own shyness, her own doubts and turmoil. Again she was surprised as she realized that such a meek aspect could have so much power over her.

"I-I will tell you, just don't get angry, p-please…"

"I promise you, I won't."

"I-I'm scared… Scared of what's happening…"

Raven kept her face impassive, hiding her confusion.

"What is happening? Do you mean me getting angry?"

"Yes… yes, but that is only a p-part of it. W-What is happening is new, and unknown, and strange, and I… am scared."

"Shhhh. No need to be scared. We will all protect you. Even Red, in her own way."

Grey nodded, apparently reassured.

"Tell me. What is happening? I just want to protect you."

"I t-told you… I can't tell you any more."

"Why not?"

The slightly sharper note in Raven's voice immediately caused Grey to hunch into herself, hiding her face under the hood.

"Y-You are angry at me…"

"Of course not. Don't worry. Calm down" Raven tried to coax her out of her hunch, but Grey refused to be calmed any further, remaining silent despite all of Raven's gentle inquiries.

"I think that is all we will obtain from her" Yellow said quietly from where she was standing. "We should leave."

Raven nodded, agreeing. She rose slowly, still avoiding spooking Grey.

"Will you take us out, please?" she asked Grey gently.

Grey nodded and rose slowly. She floated down a passageway, Raven and Yellow in tow. They flew for a few twists and turns and then Grey touched the featureless wall, opening it like a door. She pulled back from the wall, letting Raven and Yellow through.

As Raven was going through the opened wall, Grey suddenly lifted her head, looked into Raven's eyes and touched her arm. The behavior was so unexpected that Raven barely managed not to jerk back.

"He does make me feel b-better" Grey whispered and then quickly floated away, disappearing around a bend.

"Again this 'he'. What are they all talking about?"

Yellow looked at her and shrugged her shoulders. "Where to next?"

"The Meadow" Raven said.

The swirling colors deposited them in a meadow beneath a sunny, pink sky. The very air was full of an almost cloyingly sweet scent, pervading everything. They heard the sound of laughter and walked towards it.

She soon saw herself rolling on the grass and flowers, giggling and laughing, the pink cloak covered with petals and seedpods. She rose to meet them, laughing merrily.

"Oh, it's so great to see you, sisters!" she cried happily, clasping her hands. Raven could not resist smiling; the resemblance between Pink and Starfire was sometimes uncanny.

"You should smile more often, sister!" Pink beamed at Raven. "Not like dorky-face here!" she said as she turned to Yellow, putting on an exaggeratedly serious face and curving the index fingers and thumbs into circles, making with them mocking glasses in front of her eyes. This was apparently very funny to her and she again dissolved into peals of laughter.

"I really don't see what you intend to find out here" Yellow said. "She is incapable of coherent thought."

Raven lifted an eyebrow, studying Yellow. Her aspects were not supposed to have feelings of their own, except for the ones they represented, but Yellow was definitely annoyed with Pink.

"Don't tell me she annoys you" Raven told Yellow. She shrugged, dismissing the accusation. "Annoyance is pointless and inefficient."

"Efficient, effervescent, effluent, effective" Pink chanted, giggling. "Effacing, tracing, bracing, pacing!"

Yellow rolled her eyes.

Raven chuckled, then turned to Pink. "Can you tell me what is happening?"

"Of course!" Pink said merrily. She approached Raven and whispered in her ear "I heard a great joke!"

Raven frowned. "A joke?"

Pink nodded vigorously, looked at Raven and poked her with a finger. "Chicken coop!" she shouted and doubled over, laughing.

"As I was saying…" Yellow grumbled.

"Wait!" Raven cut her off, then addressed Pink again. "Is that Changeling's joke?"

"Changeling going fishing missing running!" Pink intoned between giggles.

Raven frowned again. "Don't frown!" Pink giggled, then made a handstand and looked at Raven upside-down. "Now you're smiling again!" she laughed. It made her fall, which she welcomed with even more laughter.

Raven sighed. She turned to join Yellow and leave.

"Oh, how I love Beast Boy's jokes!" Pink said after her.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Only you would. And he's Changeling now!"

"Beastling Boyling! Ding ding!"

Raven finally gave up.

"Let's go to the Dojo" she told Yellow.

The dojo they appeared in was an idealized version of a Japanese martial arts school. It was surrounded by a beautiful, carefully tended garden and the path to it was covered with crushed white rock. Everything was spotless and there was an air of tranquility around it, disturbed slightly by the sounds of someone practicing inside. As they reached the building itself, they both took off their boots before entering. Trying to enter the dojo with shoes on was dangerous.

They walked in, bowed to the _shomen_ and to the figure practicing inside, and then knelt in seiza, patiently waiting. Raven watched herself as she went through a complicated kata, her green cloak somehow not getting in the way of the intricate moves.

Green finished the kata, knelt in seiza, bowed to the _shomen_ and rose, taking a towel from a peg and wiping her face, approaching them. She knelt in seiza in front of Raven and looked her in the eyes.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"I want to know what is going on."

Green grinned. "We beat Cinderblock, that's what's going on!" She frowned slightly. "But you used magic. I would have preferred to handle it hand-to-hand."

Raven sighed. It was pointless to argue with Green that fighting a ten feet tall concrete monster in hand-to-hand combat was not a good idea. In any case, that was not why she was here.

"Besides that!"

Green shrugged. "Besides that, I don't know and I don't care. I leave Red to her ranting and Pink to her giggling."

"Do you know why Red almost got loose? Why she wants to hurt Changeling?"

"No idea. Did you ask her?"

"As a matter of fact I did, but I couldn't make heads or tails of her rant."

"Would've been an interesting fight" Green said, stretching. Raven frowned. She knew Green lived for the fight, not caring against who, but this cold disregard for her friend jarred her.

"Anything else?" Green asked, impatient. "I want to go back to my training."

Raven looked at Yellow. She shrugged again.

Turning to Green, Raven nodded. "Don't let me keep you."

Green grinned and got up.

"Hey, sis!" she said suddenly. "Do yourself a favor and ask him to train with you. Maybe a bit of sparring." She frowned. "No magic."

"Ask who?" Raven said, puzzled.

"Guess!" Green said with a sneer.

Raven shook her head in exasperation and they left the dojo. Putting her boots back on, she took a deep breath and spoke to Yellow.

"All right, let's get this over with."

Yellow smirked at her. "You said you wanted the most unpleasant one out first, and yet you left her for last."

"Don't get smart with me!"

"It's in my job description" Yellow smirked again as she invoked the swirling colors.

As they materialized, Yellow touched Raven's arm.

"I'll stay here."

She looked at Yellow and nodded, understanding. She floated forward towards a large bed.

The air was charged with a musky scent that almost made her dizzy. It was uncomfortably warm. She sensed a need to remove her cloak and take off her clothes. She fought it down, knowing that the effect was just part of the influence of the owner of this place.

She saw herself sitting up in the bed, her purple cloak hiding her completely, its color shifting slowly from lighter to darker shades and back.

 _Light for Affection, then darkening into Love, Passion and finally Lust,_ Raven thought.

Purple lifted her head and saw Raven. She rose from the bed and floated over, her cloak in the lightest of shades, almost pink. She hugged Raven and kissed her cheek tenderly. Raven steeled herself for what was coming.

"Thank you for coming, sister. I've missed you."

"It's not a social visit. I need to know what is going on."

"You never visit just to see me. Always with some stupid questions" Purple pouted, her cloak starting to darken slowly.

"Please focus and answer the question."

"What's going on?" Purple said. "What's going on is that I like him. We _all_ like him. Even Red!" she said with a sultry smile as the cloak's color deepened.

"You all like _who?_ "

Purple chuckled throatily. Her voice was husky, her cloak dark. She whispered in Raven's ear. "As if you didn't know." She proceeded to nibble on Raven's ear.

Raven blushed and stepped back, pushing Purple gently away. Her cloak slowly started to get lighter.

"He is really nice, you know. I think this could grow into something more serious."

"Does this 'he' have a name?"

"Of course he does!" Purple smiled. Her cloak started darkening again. "But you are refusing to hear it."

"I don't understand. What am I refusing to hear?"

"You are fighting us" Purple embraced her, again whispering in her ear. "You don't want to admit it to yourself!"

She felt Purple kiss her neck and shivered. That was the problem in dealing with her. She fought out of the embrace and saw that the purple cloak was so dark as to be almost black. Purple's eyes shone red, a hint of red also showing above her eyebrows. Her voice was a lusty growl as she spoke. "I can think of a few naughty things we could do with him."

"Focus!" Raven said angrily, as much to Purple as to herself.

"I am focusing. On what I am. On what I represent."

Raven grabbed Purple's wrists to prevent her hands from wandering any further down. "I need answers!"

"You have the answers. What you need is to allow yourself to see them."

"Can't any of you answer a simple question straight?" Raven said, frustrated.

Purple's cloak was light lavender. "I told you, sister!" she exclaimed, taking Raven's hands in her own. "We all told you! Several times! You are the one that's ignoring our answers! You are refusing to listen!"

"This is hopeless!" Raven said as she retreated from Purple, whose cloak was darkening again. She struck a very suggestive pose. "Visit us again soon, sister!" she crooned.

Raven blushed deeply, retreating quickly towards Yellow. "Let's go back!"

"I thought you'd never ask."

They appeared again in Yellow's domain, at the entrance to the temple-like building.

"I suppose you do not want to visit Orange."

"Would there be any use?"

"Not that I know. You'd need an hour just to wake her up."

"This was a waste of time. None of you is making any sense!"

Yellow looked at her, a slight frown on her face.

"We are making sense. We all told you. But you are ignoring what you don't want to hear."

"What is it that I am ignoring? Can't you just give me a straight answer?"

"Think about it. I can't give you a straight answer because you would ignore that, too. So we have to speak in innuendos and hints. And yet your resistance is so strong that you refuse to acknowledge even those."

"Is there anything else you can tell me? What am I resisting? Why? What – or who – is causing it?"

"As to what, we've been through that. Why? I do not know. What is causing it? I do not know either, but I do know it is not one of us. It is something in you that is not part of us. Maybe something that is a product of all of us together, or something that is completely beyond us, like an ingrained reflex. In any case, I don't see how we can help you any further."

Raven sighed. "I'll have to look for answers elsewhere, then."

Yellow nodded. "Farewell, sister. I hope I will see you again soon."

Raven stepped through the portal and back to her room.

* * *

She floated in lotus position, not meditating but thinking. The knocking at her door startled her out of her contemplation.

She felt Changeling's presence at the door, his feelings in turmoil. She debated with herself whether to allow him in or let him stew and suffer as a punishment. Quickly reaching a decision, she sent a telekinetic command to the door, opening it.

He stepped in hesitatingly.

"Rae?"

"I'm here, Changeling."

"I… I came to say I'm sorry."

Waves of guilt flowed from him, together with anguish and rage at himself. As she sensed it, she felt torn between compassion and vindictive satisfaction.

"And you want me to forgive you?" she said icily.

He swallowed as he felt the coldness in her voice.

"Yes, I… I didn't want you to… to get hurt."

"I wasn't hurt, Changeling" she said, icicles hanging from her voice.

"I… I'm glad to hear that." He fell silent. She watched him, not responding.

"If there's anything… anything that I can do to make up for…"

"Like what?" she cut him off.

She sensed something flash in him at her words, but it was too quick for her to recognize it.

He straightened up, his voice becoming stronger, his posture more decisive.

"I don't know" he said. "I am asking you. I am offering my apologies and hoping you will accept them, with or without conditions."

She gazed at him, studying him, still silent. He sighed deeply.

"Raven, I know I acted stupidly and immaturely. But it is done, and I can't go back and undo it, no matter how much I'd want to. I will have to live with the consequences. If you can't forgive me, I understand. I will not bother you any more."

He looked at her for a moment. There was sadness and hurt in his eyes, and concern for her, but also something else, something she had seldom seen in them. This was a deadly serious matter to him.

He turned to leave. A feeling of almost panic ran through her. She couldn't do this to him. She quickly floated from where she was and towards him, her legs stretching to the floor.

"Garfield" she called softly.

He stopped at the door and turned around, waiting for her to speak.

"I… I'm sorry. I forgive you. I was angry at you, but it was mean of me to… act like I did. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be. I deserved it."

"Maybe. But you are my friend, and I acted like a jerk. Please forgive me."

He stepped closer to her, placed his hands on her shoulders, his eyes still regarding her with a serious expression.

"Bygones be bygones?"

She nodded, smiling at him.

He pulled her closer and embraced her. She placed her head on his shoulder, sighing softly. After a few moments, she gently pushed him back.

"I'm glad we've… solved this. Please, I need to think now. Goodbye."

A part of him was hurt at the dismissal, but the elation of having been forgiven drowned it. He said goodbye and left her room.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:**

First and foremost I want to thank RPGPersona for the idea of the "poison gas attack" below. It allowed me to mesh nicely together several plot elements that I was looking for a way to incorporate in the story.

Thank you all for the reviews, favorites and follows that have flooded this story. It really helps me go on with it, and makes it even more fun to write. So don't be shy, let me know what you think!

* * *

It was early morning when the Crime Alert sounded. Changeling transformed into a green ostrich so that he could catch up with Cyborg's long strides as he ran to the T-Car.

"Dibs on shotgun!" he shouted as he got in the seat beside the driver, Cyborg already revving up the engine, driving the vehicle out and through the tunnel that connected the Tower to the mainland. Nightwing was already ahead of them on his bike, while the girls streaked across the morning sky.

"So, who's it now? The H.I.V.E. Five? Johnny Rancid?" he frowned. "Don't tell me it's that creep Adonis!"

"Jealous?" Cyborg smirked at Changeling, noting with satisfaction how the shapeshifter's frown deepened. He touched a raw spot, he knew. _Consider it an appetizer before the main course, Greenbean._ He shook his head and sighed, ashamed of what he just felt, realizing that he was still angry at Changeling because of his prank and that it was making him petty and mean. Aloud, he said "It's Plasmus."

Changeling remained uncharacteristically quiet during the short trip. As the T-car screeched to a stop, he jumped out of it, transforming into a falcon and beating his wings furiously to gain altitude and get a good picture of what was happening.

Cyborg also jumped out of the T-car, running around the oozy monster to get a side shot at it. He launched a blue bolt at Plasmus, knowing that the effect would be negligible, but wanting to attract the monster's attention while the rest of the team assembled.

The bolt blasted through the slime, leaving a smoking hole that filled up quickly. Plasmus turned to Cyborg and roared, launching two tentacles at him with the intention to wrap him up and immobilize him. Cyborg ducked the first one and jumped over the second one, firing his cannon at Plasmus as he moved, without much effect except to anger the slimy creature.

 _Well, I did want him to notice me. Now what?_

Another tentacle sailed towards Cyborg. He tried to jump over it, but this time the tentacle twitched up and managed to wrap itself around his leg, pulling him down and smashing him into the pavement. Not relinquishing its grip, Plasmus lifted Cyborg up, wanting to hurl him down again, when a starbeam sliced the tentacle cleanly off. A shower of starbolts enveloped the creature, dust and smoke obscuring it for a few moments.

Plasmus roared out of the dust cloud, not affected much by the attacks that were raining on it. Nightwing reached into his belt and launched a couple of cryo-grenades at the animated ooze, encasing it in ice.

"This won't hold him long!" Nightwing shouted. "We need to reach the guy inside!"

Plasmus' ooze was already boiling, melting the frozen outer layer and working itself free of the icy confinement.

"I'll handle this" Raven said, folding her legs in lotus position and releasing her soul-self to deal with Plasmus. But the monster did have a rudimentary intelligence and it did remember how it was defeated last time. It would not make things easy for Raven.

Before her soul-self was able to enter the creature, a tentacle whipped out and lashed her immobile body, throwing it forcefully down. With her concentration broken by the strike, Raven's soul-self lost cohesion and retreated back, while she tumbled helplessly towards the ground.

A green peregrine streaked after her. Changeling realized in a flash they were too close to the ground for him to attempt to catch her in his talons and slow her fall, but there was something else he could do.

The peregrine arrowed past Raven and spread its wings at the last possible moment to reduce its speed just before it landed, then immediately transformed into an elephant seal. A split second later, Raven crashed into him, her fall cushioned by three tons of blubber. She bounced off and fell to the ground, dazed but not injured.

 _She looks OK. I guess it worked!_ Changeling thought with satisfaction as he transformed into a kingfisher and swooped up over the oozing menace.

 _OK, snot-brain! Lemme see that sweet mouth of yours open!_ he thought as he used his wings to hover immobile above the monster, who was ignoring the tiny, inoffensive little bird. Plasmus opened its mouth to bellow and Changeling took the chance and shot down through the monster's opened mouth, diving into the unappealing goo.

Changeling fought the feeling of disgust as he morphed into an octopus, his tentacles spreading through the slime, searching, probing. He finally touched the human at the core of the monster. His tentacles grasped and coiled as they pulled him closer. He transformed into an electric eel and discharged a stunning jolt into the man creating Plasmus. The man fell unconscious and the creature fell apart.

Changeling switched back into himself, an expression of revulsion on his face.

"Ewwww. Every time we fight this guy I get covered in snot!"

"It's not snot, Greenbean. It's goo."

"Yeah, that makes me feel a lot better, Bolt Bucket!"

"Shame it doesn't make you smell better, too!" Cyborg smirked.

"Very funny!"

"That was some quick thinking, Changeling" Raven said as she approached. "And thanks for the save!"

"You're welcome, momma!"

"Let's get you to the Tower and clean you up. I should also run a check on you to make sure you're OK. I must have left at least a large bruise on you."

"I'm fine, Rae. Don't worry –" he cut himself short when he saw her raised eyebrow. He smiled sheepishly and nodded.

"Good. I'm glad we understand each other" she said as she turned, hiding a small, smug smile.

* * *

On top of a nearby building a figure stood, observing with interest the combat taking place below. As Plasmus was defeated, she retrieved a communicator and made a call.

"You have observed zis battle, yes?" she said into the mouthpiece as her eyes still followed what was going on.

"Indeed. The green one is starting to learn how to use his power more effectively. This is making him more dangerous. Do not engage yet until I can process all this new information."

She scoffed. "He is no match for me! Improved or not, he vill pose no threat!"

"We have underestimated him once already" the Brain cautioned. "Do not allow your desire for vengeance to cloud your judgment."

She frowned at the communicator, hating having to follow his orders and hating even more the fact that he was right.

"I vill do as you ask" she said, with a hint of emphasis on the 'ask'. "But once zis is over I demand zat he is delivered to me, for… entertainment."

"Once the sorceress is trapped he will be of no further use to us. You can have him then, but not before."

"Zat is all I need" she concluded, closing the communication and looking at Changeling with hatred smoldering in her eyes.

* * *

After being given a clean bill of health by Raven, Changeling headed for his room. He still had a lot of work to do, and today's work was going to be especially unpleasant.

Two hours later, having finished what he wanted, he sighed contentedly and sat on the lower bunk to rest.

 _Whew! That was some nasty stuff, but I've finally gotten rid of it! In a couple of days I'll have it all finished, and I can ask Rae to take a look and see that I've fulfilled my promise._

He laid down, his hands behind his head, as he enjoyed himself following that train of thought.

In the Ops room, Nightwing was working on a computer, studying crime patterns, trying to find any indication that Slade's hand may be behind some of it. Suddenly he lifted his head and looked around, his nostrils flaring.

He rose from the chair and exited the Ops room, looking for what had roused his attention. Following the trail he sensed, he went downstairs, his hand unconsciously going for the collapsible bo staff he always carried.

He went several levels further down, until he was below the ground. He paused in front of the door to the garbage disposal unit, steeling himself.

The door flew open and he jumped inside, ready for anything – except for what he found himself in.

He choked as his lungs were seared by what was in the air, his eyes watering. He stumbled, half-blind and short of breath, towards the big, red Alert button on the wall. He managed to slam his fist on the button before collapsing below it, his breath coming from his mouth in short, quick gasps.

The alarm howled through the tower. The other members of the team rushed to where the alert came from.

"Poison gas!" Cyborg shouted as he also felt what Nightwing had noticed. Raven quickly expanded a protective black bubble around them as they gathered around Nightwing.

"Please, friends, we must take Dick to the infirmary at the once!" Starfire cried, overwhelmed by concern and anguish.

"We can't leave the protective dome" Raven said, her mind working on the problem facing them. "Cyborg, pick him up. We will have to walk together so that I can keep the bubble around us all."

"We should go to the main controls and shut off the ventilation so that the gas does not spread!" Cyborg said. "It's useless to carry him to the infirmary if the gas seeps in there, too!"

"Uh… dudes?" Changeling said shyly.

"Not now, Grass Stain!" Cyborg growled. "We need to get out of this first!"

"Maybe we should leave the Tower" Raven suggested. "The air outside is probably clear!"

"I don't think it's –" Changeling tried again.

"Please, friend Changeling, do not insist with the interference, we must save Dick from the effects of this most noxious attack!" Starfire cut him short, her eyes glowing green, her concern mounting, her wrath with whoever was responsible growing.

"I think Rae's idea is the best so far" Cyborg said. "We must remain under her protective dome at all times, so watch your step!"

" _It's not gas!_ " Changeling shouted finally, his face blushing dark green. They all looked at him, surprised.

"It's some stuff I've… taken out of my room, because… it smelled bad" he said, his voice trailing softer, his face becoming even darker. He was staring at the floor.

They gaped at him for a few seconds. Cyborg was the first to react. He first chuckled, then barked a short laugh, then bent over laughing like crazy.

"Oh, man, you've just given me ammunition for the next two years!" he said as he tried unsuccessfully to control his mirth. The rest of them joined in the laughter, even Nightwing, somewhat recovered from his weakness.

Raven was the only one not laughing. She was looking at Changeling with a strange expression in her eyes, but he didn't notice. Ashamed, he turned and stormed off to his room. Raven watched him go, frowned at her friends, still laughing themselves silly, then released the protective bubble and followed Changeling.

* * *

"Go away!" he shouted as he heard the soft knocking on his door. He was not really in the mood to face any on them.

"Gar, it's me, please, let me in" Raven's voice came through. He sighed, got up and opened the door a crack.

"What is it?" he said coldly, still smarting from the shame he felt.

"I wanted to talk to you" she said softly. "I can see you're upset and–"

"I don't want to talk!" he said, slamming the door closed and going back to his bunk.

Raven felt a sharp stab of anguish as she realized the role reversal they were in right now. How many times did she do this exact thing to him? Shut him out coldly when he was only concerned about her well-being?

She sighed. _There is a lesson to be learned for you here, Raven._ She knocked again.

"Gar, please!"

She heard his footsteps approaching the door. Again it opened a crack, his scowling face showing partly behind it.

"I said, I don't want to talk! Leave me alone! You of all should be an expert in that!"

Her gut wrenched as his words found their mark. _Azar, was I this bad? Did I make him feel just as miserable as he's making me feel now?_

"Garfield, I just want to –"

"Not interested!" he cut her off, slamming the door shut again.

Fighting the many emotions that were overwhelming her, she quickly reviewed her options. She could force the door open and walk in, or she could phase or portal in, but all these options would be an invasion of his privacy and would do more harm than good. There was only one thing to do.

"Garfield, please!" she said loudly to the closed door. "I want to apologize to you! This was all my fault, I shouldn't have… I made you do it, and now you're hurt because of it! I'm sorry!"

She heard his footsteps come close to the door again. It hissed open fully.

"Come in" he said.

She walked in and turned to face him. He shut the door and walked past her to his bunk bed, sitting down on it. He stared at the floor, his face still wearing the angry scowl.

"Garfield, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking about the consequences when I made you –"

"It's _not_ your fault" he said fiercely. His scowl melted as he looked at her.

"Sorry I snapped at you like that." He looked at the floor again, the scowl reforming on his face.

"I'm just… It's not your fault" he repeated. "I was… should've…"

He shook his head. She stood silently, feeling his anger at himself consume him, wanting desperately to comfort him.

An idea struck her. "How about I help you finish the job?"

He looked up, surprise in his eyes. "Why?"

"Well, I demanded it from you in the first place, so I feel responsible" she said, waving away the denial he was about to voice again. "And you are my friend, so I should help you with any problems that you have. And it will keep you busy and your mind away from what happened."

His scowl finally went away, replaced by a smile. She felt his sunny side return and his usual optimism reassert itself. "That's mighty nice of you, momma!"

"Yeah, I'm all like that" she smirked.

He grinned at her, then his face became serious as he got up and approached her, taking both her hands in his.

"Don't short-change yourself, Rae. I have learned to see through that armor of yours. You are the most caring and generous person I've ever known."

She looked down and turned away from him, trying to hide her blush.

"All right, let's get started" she said, trying to keep her back to him and not give the appearance that she was avoiding looking at him.

* * *

There was still a lot of work to do, but with Raven's powers helping they made large inroads in the chaos that was still left over in the room.

Changeling carried several cardboard boxes full of useless odds and ends that he didn't want to throw away and placed them on the floor, close to his bunk bed.

"I'll take it later to storage" he said, turning to look at Raven.

She was cleaning out a corner of his room, revealing a desk under a pile of discarded items, dirty clothes and assorted doodads. Seeing a drawing block on the desk, she picked it up and idly opened it, looking to decide whether it should be consigned to trash or storage. Her eyes widened.

She flipped through the first few pages quickly, then turned to him with amazement in her eyes.

"Garfield? Did you draw these?"

"Hmmm? Let me see… Oh, yeah. I also like to doodle a bit when I feel like it."

"I'm… I didn't realize you had such talent!" she exclaimed. "These are wonderful!"

There were several drawings of animals – a panther, a gorilla, an antelope – done in bold strokes of a soft pencil, anatomically perfect and incredibly dynamic. The coarsely drawn lines made the animals almost jump out of the paper, revealing not only Garfield's ability to illustrate them, but also his intimate knowledge of the animal's character.

He blushed at her praise, then saw her leafing through the drawings one by one. He rose quickly, suddenly concerned, and strode over.

"It's nothing important, let me have it and I'll –"

He cut himself off, noticing that he was too late. She was staring intently at one of the drawings. She lifted her gaze, looked at him with an inscrutable expression in her eyes, then looked back at the block. She turned the page to look carefully at the next drawing, then the next. He stood, transfixed, not able to move.

She finally looked at him again.

"Did you do these from memory?" she asked.

"Um… most. For a couple of them I had some pictures that I used."

She looked at the next drawing. "This one was apparently done while I was meditating in the Ops room" she said in her monotone.

He rubbed the back of his head, suddenly ashamed, a fierce blush darkening his face.

"Yeah, I'm… uh… sorry I didn't tell you. They're just doodles."

She frowned, looking back down at his drawings. Those 'doodles' were gripping studies of herself. Raven meditating, calmness radiating out from her. Raven ready to unleash her power on an unseen foe, floating in the air, her arms spread wide, black mist gathered around her hands, her eyes blazing. Mysterious Raven, her hood up, her eyes glowing softly in its depths. But mostly they were studies of her face, from different angles and in different situations.

"Do I really frown so much?" she asked, then realized she was doing it and tried to clear her expression.

"That's why I try so hard to make you smile" he said sincerely. "When you do, it's like… the sun shining behind a cloud. The first spring flower pushing through the snow."

She looked at him again.

"Don't tell me you're a poet, also" she said softly.

"Um… no. I didn't get that far" he grinned.

She took the block and walked over to his bunk bed, sitting down on it, still studying the drawings with extreme interest. He sat beside her and looked over her shoulder.

"Rae, I hope you don't mind I've –"

"Mind? The only thing that I mind is you not telling me about it!" she said, still absorbed looking at his drawings. "You have power, Garfield. And a good eye for character."

"Which one is your favorite?"

She leafed through the drawings, finally settling for a portrait of hers. It was done from a slightly elevated angle, her hair whipping in the wind around her face, a slight frown creasing her brow, her eyes thoughtful.

"This one" she said.

"It's yours."

She looked up sharply at him.

"Absolutely not. These are way too… personal for you to give them away. I have to refuse."

"Rae, please! It is _you_ , after all!"

"No, Garfield. I can't accept such a gift."

She noticed that his eyes had that serious look again.

"It would mean much to me."

She hesitated, then looked at the drawing.

"Thank you" she said quietly. Then she cleared her throat and rose from the bunk. "We still have a lot of work. Let's get onto it!"

* * *

"Let's call it a day, shall we?" Raven said as she stretched, cramped and tired. Changeling yawned mightily and grinned. "I thought you'd never ask!"

"I'll take these to storage. You get those dirty clothes to the laundry."

"Your wish is my command, momma!" he said as he grabbed an armful of clothing and started for the door. She used her power to pile up three levels of four cardboard boxes each, all full of assorted junk that Changeling couldn't bear to part with, preparing to teleport them all together with herself to storage and arrange them properly there.

She was just about to do it when she heard a bump, a yell and a _krangg!_

Turning around, she saw Changeling, overturned boxes around him, the dirty clothes he was carrying strewn about, sitting in the ruins of his guitar.

"Garfield! Are you OK? Your guitar!"

"I'm fine. I… I tripped over the boxes… Couldn't see because of the pile of clothes I was carrying…"

"Oh, Gar, I'm so sorry!" She sensed anger in him, and regret, and sorrow.

"For what? The guitar? Don't be. It's a cheap one, I bought it a while ago. It had some sentimental value, but it's no big deal."

She looked at him quizzically.

"Then where are all those emotions coming from?"

He smiled, but there was pain behind it.

"I sometimes forget that you're an empath. Makes hiding stuff more difficult."

"Gar, I –"

"Please don't apologize. You don't hear me apologizing because I'm green."

She frowned as she felt the wave of self-pity growing in him.

He slammed his fist on the floor. "It's just that I can't do anything right! Everything I touch I screw up. Even if I try to do something good, like clean up my room, I end up being laughed at and destroying things! I'm a failure, an idiot!"

He sat on the floor, hugging his legs, his chin resting on his knees. Raven winced.

 _I have to rip this out of him before it grows into self-loathing. But he will hate me for it._

Her lips pressed tight into a hard line.

 _Better for him to hate me than to hate himself._

"Yes, you're right. You are an idiot."

His head snapped up, his eyes looking at her, wide, not understanding.

"You are an idiot because you don't realize that I wouldn't be standing here talking to you if you hadn't made a good judgment call in a split second this morning. You are an imbecile because you refuse to remember how well you handled Plasmus today. You're a moron because only a moron could think that someone with your talents can be a failure. Need I go on?"

His eyes narrowed as he listened to her. She could feel his anger rise as her words cut deep. He stared at her for a few moments after she finished, then his anger popped and disappeared, as insubstantial as a soap bubble.

"I almost forgot how one of your dressing-downs felt like" he said wryly. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"It has. And that fact in itself should tell you something."

"It does. Thank you, Rae. I guess… I needed that."

"You most certainly did. And don't make a habit out of it. Whatever you may think of me, I didn't enjoy it."

He looked at her, finally understanding how difficult it was for her to do what she just did.

"I'm sorry, Rae, I shouldn't –"

She cut him off with a wave of her hand, sitting down on the floor beside him, gathering her legs under her and placing an arm around his shoulders. "Gar, listen. Self-pity is dangerous. I had to make you angry to have you snap out of it, but it was a gamble. You could have sunk even deeper in it, and started hating me into the bargain. Don't ever give in to it."

He nodded, his eyes thoughtful. She made sure he was out of it, gave his shoulder a squeeze and got up.

"Just clean this up and we'll finish what's left tomorrow. Good night, Gar."

"Good night, Rae" he said as he watched her leave his room. He smiled after her.

 _I could hate you just as much as I could chew my right arm off, Raven._

He sighed and rose to clean up the mess.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:**

To say that I am pleasantly surprised at the effect this story is having would be a hell of an understatement. I honestly had not expected it to become so popular.

Let me thank you again for all the love you're sending my way. It is important for a writer to know if he or she is doing the job properly. Every opinion counts, and every criticism is taken seriously. So please, don't forget to leave a review!

* * *

As she walked into the Ops room the following morning, she was surprised to see him fussing around the counter.

"Up already? You were never an early riser."

He grinned at her. "You're right, momma! But I was so tired last night that I went to bed right away. I slept like a baby and woke up nice and early, ready to finish the job!"

He picked up the tray he was arranging and brought it to the coffee table, placing it carefully on it. He sat on the couch, looking at her.

"Care to join me? I made us some tea."

Her eyebrow went up. "That's very sweet of you, Garfield."

She floated over and sat beside him. "What's in the teapot?"

"Lapsang souchong" he said, a playful twinkle in his eye. "I've been told it's good."

She smiled at him. "I like it a lot, but only in special occasions. It's not everyone's cup of tea."

He laughed. "There, you see? You can pun with the best of them!"

He picked up the teapot and poured gingerly, first into her cup, then his.

"You want some sugar?" he asked, then suddenly blushed and looked away.

She felt his confusion and her brow creased in a slight frown, puzzled. Then it dawned on her. She chuckled.

"I'll take that in the literal sense, Garfield. Yes, please. Two."

For an instant she felt a twinge of regret pass through him before he recovered. She smiled inwardly. _Boys!_

They relaxed, sipping the hot, smoky-flavored brew.

"So, did you sleep well?"

She looked at him with a slight frown, but her eyes were mild. "Do you really have to say anything? Why don't you just relax and enjoy the moment in silence?"

"I guess I never tried. I always feel the need to say something."

She smiled at him. "You have an overwhelming desire to express yourself. That is where your drawing and your music come from. You are reaching out through them, just as you do through speaking."

"I suppose you're right, I've never thought –" his hand went to his forehead. "Music! I knew I forgot something!"

He got up and walked to the console, pressing a series of keystrokes. He turned and walked back to the couch as the sounds of Beethoven's _Minuet in G_ filled the room.

"That piece always reminds me of those old-time royal ballrooms" he said.

Raven nodded, smiling. "With ladies in bell-skirted dresses."

"And everyone wearing powdered wigs!" he laughed, reaching Raven. He bowed, one hand over his chest, the other sweeping out. "May I have this dance, my lady?"

Raven choked on her tea, snorting. "You're out of your mind, Changeling!"

"Don't make me use the Face on you, momma!" he grinned, still bowed, looking at her.

She tried to frown at him and failed. She tried to glare at him dangerously, but couldn't. Smothering a giggle, she managed at last to growl at him.

"There is no power in the Nine Hells that's going to make me – Garfield!" she exclaimed as he took hold of her hands and dragged her up.

"Sorry, momma, but that was a very uncomfortable position!" He encircled her waist with one hand, took her hand in the other one and led her into the dance.

"Garfield, you childish idiot, what do you think you're doing?" she cried, her laughter contradicting the meaning of her words as they circled around the Ops room to the tune.

* * *

Cyborg was almost at the door when he heard the music and the laughter. He looked into the room, not believing what he was seeing, then retreated as quickly and quietly as a six-foot-eight half-metal giant could.

 _Booyah!_ he shouted silently and pumped his fist as he retraced his steps down the hallway. He slowly shook his head as he thought about what he just saw.

 _Incredible. If Evergreen had tried that two weeks ago the only thing left of him would be a green stain on the wall. And I bet neither of them even realizes it._

Soon he ran into Nightwing and Starfire. He blocked their path, scowling.

"Ops room is off limits for the time being" he said softly but firmly.

Starfire craned her neck over his shoulder, hearing the merry sounds coming through the hallway. She clasped her hands and whispered.

"Friend Cyborg! Could it be…?"

"I sure hope it could!" he said as he shooed them away.

"What about breakfast?" Nightwing asked, not understanding anything. "What?" he said defensively as they both glared at him.

* * *

He knocked at her door. A black aura enveloped it for an instant and it opened. He walked in, his eyes adjusting to the gloom, looking for her.

"Hi Rae! Brought you something!" he grinned as he held aloft the flash drive they've been using to exchange music.

Raven had recently uncovered all the combinations and possibilities of Baroque music for Changeling. Vivaldi, Handel, and especially Bach – she showed him how the changes in musical notation and in the development of musical instruments since that period made it possible to enjoy a single piece in a stunning variety of ways that went from using different instruments to variations in tempos and in some cases even the structure of the composition itself. Raven usually preferred to listen to it as close to the original as possible, with replicas of original instruments and a notation carefully researched to ensure the highest possible adherence to what the composer would intend, while Changeling usually preferred more freedom in his choice of instrumentation, tempo and interpretation.

"You gotta listen to this Frenchie guy, he has a jazz trio – piano, bass and drums – and they made this _totally awesome_ rendition of the _Toccata and Fugue in D minor_. I know you prefer the original stuff, but you have to hear this!"

Raven smiled as she took the flash drive from Changeling. "Good morning, Gar. Judging from your excitement, I guess it has to be good!" she told him, enjoying the happiness and ebullience he was radiating. She noticed him staring at her expectantly and lifted an eyebrow.

"What, right now?"

He nodded eagerly. Her smile widened as she plugged the flash drive into her laptop and transferred the file to her media player. She put the buds of her headphones in her ears, started the playback and closed her eyes.

Changeling paced the room, nervous, waiting for Raven to finish listening and give him her verdict. His gaze roamed around as he walked, uncovering details in the gloom. Finally, his eyes fell on the hand mirror he remembered so well. Curiosity eating at him, he approached it.

 _Hands behind your back, Garfield. You don't wanna go through all that again!_ he thought as he walked towards the object. He eyed it warily but with interest.

 _I'm not gonna touch it, I just want to take a look._

He stopped in front of the nightstand where the mirror was resting. He bent over to look into it, his hands firmly clasped behind his back.

 _Just a quick look._

A reddish-black vortex exploded from the mirror and sucked him in before he could even voice a protest.

Raven's eyes opened wide. She removed the earphones and turned to look at the mirror.

A tolerant smile appeared on her face. _Oh Garfield, when will you learn to think before you act?_

She sighed and took the mirror. _I should pull him out of there before he gets himself into trouble._

The portal opened and she stepped in. She almost laughed out loud.

Garfield was on the floor, while Green and Yellow were trying to pry Purple off of him. Grey was looking at what was happening, her eyes wide, her hand on her mouth.

Raven helped Yellow and Green and they managed to drag Purple away from him. Green lifted Purple bodily and carried her away while she fought, pouting. Raven's smile widened as she helped Garfield up and returned them to her room.

Changeling was still dazed and breathing heavily as she spoke to him. "You should be more careful, Garf –"

His eyes still unfocused, he grabbed her in his arms, pulled her close and kissed her.

"Mmmrfld! Mmpht mmmdhng!" she tried to say, fighting a losing battle both against him and the sudden explosion of unknown emotions that flooded her. Her arms stopped pushing him away and embraced him instead, pulling him closer as she responded, closing her eyes and giving up control completely, letting herself be swept away by the tsunami of delicious pleasure that washed over her.

Light fixtures exploded with a staccato of bangs. The large window shattered, sending tiny bits of armored glass everywhere. Books flew out of the bookcase, loose items whirled in a tornado around them. A heavy carving of theatrical masks was lifted up and flew across the room, smashed into a wall and rebounded, hitting them and bowling them over.

She recovered, breathing heavily, desperately trying to force control back. Wrestling her emotions down, she clutched at the most familiar one and used it to subdue the others, then turned it towards Changeling.

" _What in the Nine Hells do you think you're doing, Garfield!_ " she shouted at him, her eyes blazing, her fury bursting through.

He was sitting on the floor, his face flushed dark, his eyes wide, staring at her. He opened his mouth to say something, then snapped it shut. He looked down.

"Who in Azar's name do you think you are to – Do you have any idea what –" She pulled herself together, trying to control herself. She closed her eyes and forced calm to fall on her, ignoring the fluttering of her heart and the buzzing in her ears. She breathed deeply for a few seconds before she spoke, her eyes still closed.

"Gar, I'm sorry I shouted at you. But really, what possessed you to do such a thing? Look what happened!"

He gazed around at the disaster Raven's uncontrolled power had caused.

"Now we have two rooms to clean" he said wryly.

"Don't try to change the subject!" she cried, her anger flaring again at his seeming lack of concern for what had transpired. "Don't you ever _think_ of doing something like that again! Look at me when I'm speaking to you!"

He looked up, apprehensive, and saw the cold anger in her eyes. He frowned and was about to reply heatedly when her gaze softened and she took a deep breath.

"Gar, I know you were… confused… by what happened while you were in Nevermore. But you have to control yourself. This cannot be allowed to happen again."

He rose from the floor and looked at her. His eyes had that serious look in them and she sensed a whirling vortex of conflicting feelings coming from him in waves, crashing into her. For a moment she felt a mixture of dread and hope that he would try to kiss her again, but he turned and left her room.

"I'll get Cyborg to fix the lights and the window" he said over his shoulder as he walked out.

"Garfield!" she called after him.

He stopped and turned to face her, his expression still serious.

"Please, let's keep this between the two of us. All right?"

He studied her, noticing the two pink spots that appeared on her pale features.

"Only between us" he said softly and left.

* * *

"What the hell happened here?" Cyborg exclaimed as he walked into her room. Raven was grateful that she had a few minutes to impose some semblance of order to her room, but the smashed window, broken fixtures and glass shards on the floor were obvious enough.

"I got angry at Changeling" she replied, convincing herself it wasn't a lie. She _was_ angry at Garfield, even though that came after… whatever happened.

"Another one of his pranks?" Cyborg asked, smirking. "At least you didn't throw him into the sea!"

"He ran away before I could" she said flatly, hoping to end the inquiry then and there.

"We'll need to order the window glass. I could have it by tomorrow. At least it's summer, so you won't freeze" he said, grinning. "We could move you to a spare room if you want."

"It's OK, Vic. I don't mind sleeping with the window open – well, _without_ a window – tonight."

"OK, little sis. I'll start on the fixtures right away. Lemme get my tools and some spare bulbs."

"I'll be in the Ops room if you need me" she said and left. Cyborg looked after her as she walked out, a small frown creasing his face as a hint of suspicion arose in him.

 _This was not a prank, little sis. I know you when you're angry. You are not angry, you are confused. What did Grass Stain do to you, I wonder?_

* * *

Thankfully, the Ops room was quiet, even though everybody else was in. Changeling was playing a game, but he kept the volume to a tolerable level. Nightwing was working and Starfire was again trying to cook some kind of Tamaranian dish. The concoction she had bubbling in a pot on the stove gave off a decidedly unappetizing smell.

She retreated to a corner of the room and levitated, crossing her legs in lotus position, beginning her meditation.

 _I could have hurt him. I could have hurt myself!_

 _It was very… pleasant._

 _Bah! Who am I kidding? Pleasant? It was sheer distilled ecstasy!_

 _But I could have hurt him. I could have hurt all of us!_

 _How can something be so… nice, feel so… right, and yet be wrong?_

 _It felt nice because I like him a lot,_ another voice intruded into her thoughts. She frowned.

 _Purple? What are you doing manifesting like this?_

 _I just wanted to tell you that I like him. He's sweet, and caring, and he's quite good looking also. And his kiss was… amazing._

 _I know that. And I know that it wouldn't have happened if you didn't tease him when he came into Nevermore._

 _Oh, I wasn't teasing. I was very serious._

 _You are taking a lot of liberties. Maybe I should chain you, like I did Red._

 _You can always try, sister._

Her voice receded, followed by a throaty laugh. Raven's frown deepened and she tried to return to her meditation.

 _It must not be allowed to happen again. I must never lose control like this again. I could have hurt him._

Peace stole slowly over her. Her mind reveled in the calm that meditation brought to her, never realizing that she used the same emotions she was trying so hard to suppress to achieve the peacefulness and emotional balance that she needed.

* * *

Changeling played his game mechanically, his thoughts chasing each other in his mind.

 _I will not apologize. I did nothing wrong. I… like her, and I wanted to show it to her._

 _And she got angry with you._

 _That came later! She kissed me back, I felt it!_

 _So now you're an expert in kissing? You have kissed how many girls before? Oh, right. Zero. Zilch. None._

 _Gimme a break. You don't have to be an expert. Just because she did not have a huge, flashing neon sign that said "I like you!" doesn't mean that –_

 _Then why did she get angry?_

He shook his head and pushed the thoughts from his mind, concentrating on the game.

* * *

That day and the next were a bit awkward as both of them were stiff and formal to each other. But soon, without them even noticing, they warmed up again and their relationship continued on its strange course.

That morning he made tea of chamomile, thyme and a dash of cinnamon, and sweetened it with honey. She sipped it with delight.

"This is great, Gar. What gave you the idea?"

"My nose" he laughed. "Anything that has to do with aromas, I'm your man."

They sat silently, sipping the tea, music playing softly in the background. Raven appreciated much the pleasant, quiet morning. She appreciated even more his company. She felt his affection for her cover her like a warm blanket, without being heavy or bothersome. It rather gave her peace and… comfort. It was an enjoyable sensation, and one that relaxed her fully. She smiled, happy to be there with him.

He glanced at her. He was almost bursting to ask her why she was smiling, but he knew she preferred for both of them to be silent. He forced himself not to think about it but to try and emulate her and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the morning.

She looked at him for a moment, then touched his hand.

"Thank you" she said softly.

He didn't have to ask why she was thanking him. He smiled back and relaxed in the couch.

After a few minutes, however, he was beginning to get frisky. She hid a smile, realizing that he will soon be losing the battle with himself and end up saying something. The least she could do as thanks for his care and sacrifice was to avoid making him feel guilty for speaking.

"Very nice tea, Garfield. Thanks."

His face brightened as he felt that he could speak without irritating her. "Y'know, momma, I was thinking. I really want to…"

 _I really want to kiss you again,_ the thought came unbidden to his mind. He almost said it aloud, then choked on his tea.

After a few seconds of coughing and a concerned look from Raven, he caught his breath and spoke.

"I was thinking of flying around a bit. Wanna join me? Maybe we can race!"

She frowned. "Flying for me is a way for getting from point A to point B. It's not something I do for frivolous entertainment!"

"Mind using smaller words?" he grinned at her.

She rolled her eyes. "All right! I guess I can give it a try."

They went to the roof. Garfield stretched as he breathed deeply of the sea breeze.

"Ahhhhh. That feels really great!"

She smiled at him. "Indeed it does. What's the plan?"

"Race you to the coast and back!" he said, grinning.

She lifted an eyebrow. "You sure you can beat me?"

He snorted. "I'd like to see you beating a peregrine!"

"Care to put your money where your mouth is?"

"Loser has to answer truthfully to anything the winner asks for the next twenty four hours?"

"That's a dangerous bet, Garfield. How about we stay with books and video games?"

"Hah! You're chickening out!"

She rolled her eyes. "Glutton for punishment, I see. You're on, Changeling!"

"Three, two, one, GO!" he shouted as he shrunk into a peregrine falcon and was off, beating his wings to gain altitude. Raven shot off after him.

With powerful strokes of his wings, Changeling was soon arrowing through the air at over a hundred miles per hour towards the coast. Raven found herself straining to keep up with him, feeling the exhilaration of the race and the freedom of flight fill her soul. The new emotions fueled her power and her speed increased, reducing the distance between them.

She was almost at an arm's length from him when they reached the coast. Changeling turned tightly around a tall flag pole and streaked back towards the tower, his wings beating to a fast and strong rhythm. Raven had a lot more inertia and had to make a much wider turn, losing a precious few seconds. As she flew after him, she realized she may lose the race. She frowned, willing out more speed from her power. She started catching up again.

Changeling was apparently tiring, not able to keep such a sprint for such a long stretch. The downbeat of his wings came a bit weaker and a bit slower as his pace slackened. Raven managed to catch up and touched down on the roof half a second before Changeling landed, his wings flared out, morphing back into himself.

"Good… job… momma!" he said, gasping for air, grinning and holding his side.

"Are you OK? You look like you're in pain" she frowned at him.

"It's just the bruise. I can still feel it."

Her frown deepened. "I should check you to make sure you haven't done any damage to yourself. I shouldn't have accepted your stupid bet. You're still not fully healed!"

"Come on, Rae, it's just a bruise that's going to go away soon!"

"There were two cracked ribs under that bruise, Changeling!" she told him coldly. "Now get yourself to the infirmary so I can check you up!"

"You're overreacting, Rae. I'm telling ya –"

Her frown turned into a scowl. It was Garfield's turn to roll his eyes.

"All right, all right! I'm going!"

They reached the infirmary and she helped him sit on the bed, then turned to the task of getting the equipment ready

"Take off your uniform" she told him over her shoulder as she prepared the X-ray machine.

"Someone pinch me, I must be dreaming!"

Raven looked at him, confused. "What are you talking about?"

Changeling grinned widely at her as he spoke. "A hot babe just told me to take off my clothes!"

Raven's knuckles went white as her fists clenched and she tried with all her might to fight down the blood rushing to her face. Completely taken off-guard, she reacted instinctively and channeled her confusion into anger.

"I am not a 'hot babe' and I resent the implications of your words" she growled, grinding her teeth.

Changeling's propensity for ignoring danger signs, however clear and visible they may be, struck again.

"Sorry, didn't mean to imply anything. But you are hot!" he said, the huge grin still on his face. "You know, Rae, maybe we could –"

"Garfield…" she hissed softly, the single word crackling with deadly menace.

"What? You're a looker, and you have beautiful eyes…" he suddenly checked himself and swallowed, the grin falling off his face. "… I mean, when they're not… glowing… red?"

For a few seconds he sat paralyzed, looking into the hellfire blazing in her eyes.

 _Oops. My stupid mouth finally got me in more trouble than I can handle. I guess this is it for me. I hope it's over quickly._

He closed his eyes, awaiting his destiny. He heard the soft swish of her cloak recede and squinted through one eye, just managing to see her storm out of the infirmary.

* * *

She paced her room, unable to calm down enough even to levitate, let alone focus and concentrate for meditation.

 _First the kiss, now this? Is that how he thinks of me? Or am I a target for his stupid jokes?_

Several books were blown from the bookshelf to smash against the far wall.

 _You are overreacting, Raven. He wasn't joking. He was paying you a compliment. If you cared to remember the feelings coming from him –_

 _I am not a 'hot babe!' What kind of compliment is that? He could have just as well called me a… a hussy! That and his stupid kiss! Who does he think I am?_

The nightstand hovered up in the air, then suddenly exploded in a burst of wood chips, practically annihilated.

 _You're being unreasonable, Raven. He likes you, and he wanted to make you feel good. You could sense his intentions. Why are you denying it? Why are you making it sound as if he did something bad?_

 _Because he's CROSSING THE LINE!_

All of Cyborg's work was in vain. The new light fixtures in the room shattered again, showering everything with tiny, sparkling glass shards. The recently repaired window started vibrating menacingly, the armored glass almost at the point of bursting. She hugged herself, clutching desperately at her emotions and forcing them back, down, inside.

 _Because he's crossing the line that divides friendship from… from something else._

 _You mean the 'something else' that you refuse to admit that you're feeling?_

Raven gasped as a sudden crack in her mind's wall showed her a glimpse of what was really inside her. Her legs suddenly felt weak, her knees buckled. She slumped to the floor, sitting cross-legged, as she bent over and held her head in her hands.

 _I… cannot. I_ must _not._

She breathed deeply, slowly falling into the rhythm, the exercise calming her. She slowly took control of her emotions and crushed them mercilessly back into the void beyond the wall.

A single tear rolled down her cheek.

 _Azar help me, I cannot._


	9. Chapter 9

"I am _not_ going to that stupid outing and that's my final word!" Raven shouted, white fire kindling in her eyes as she faced Nightwing. "You are certainly welcome to _try_ to drag me there" she snarled, as the white blaze took on a reddish tint.

Nightwing took a step back, surprised by Raven's vehemence. He understood her reluctance, knowing she did not care much for going out, but he was planning a team-bonding jaunt and the fierceness of her opposition shook him.

He looked at Cyborg for support, but the half-robot was pointedly ignoring his gaze. He glanced at Starfire, who shook her head slowly, a warning glow in her eyes. He dismissed it, frowning, as he turned finally to Changeling. "Gar, can you talk some sense into her? She seems to listen to you lately. You were able to get her to play volleyball, after all!"

Changeling lifted his gaze from the game he was playing and frowned at him. "I think you overestimate my influence, dude" he said dryly and returned to his game.

Starfire floated closer and took hold of Nightwing's arm, dragging him away from Raven.

"Dick, it is not of the intelligence to argue with friend Raven these days" she whispered to him once they were out of earshot of the upset half-demon. "She has been in the cranky mood the few days of the past."

"Yes, but –"

"You must look at the issue from the angle of the positiveness" she said in a soothing tone. "It would be most unfortunate for all if we forced friend Raven to go and then she entered in the conflict with you or with friend Changeling, for some issue of the little importance."

"Hmmmm. I see what you mean" he said as he realized she had a point. "There is much in what you said. I will follow your advice and let Raven stay here if she really doesn't want to go." He smiled as he suddenly thought of a face-saving solution. "We need someone on guard duty in any case!" he said finally, allowing himself to feel a small measure of satisfaction for finding a way to settle the thorny problem.

Changeling finished his game and tossed the controller on the coffee table, rising from the couch and leaving the Ops room without a glance back. Raven's expressionless gaze followed him as she floated in a corner of the room, her hood up.

There was yet another frowning face in the Ops room that day. Cyborg watched everything silently, glanced first at Raven, then got up and strode after Changeling, his face grim.

He caught up with the green shapeshifter just as he was opening the door to his room. He grabbed Changeling by the scruff of his neck, lifted him up and carried him into his room, not paying attention to the yelps of complaint coming from the young morpher.

Once inside, he dropped Changeling on the floor, closed the door and turned to face him, folding his arms across his chest.

"All right, Grass Stain! Speak! What did ya do?"

"Hey, what's the idea, Rust Brain?" Changeling protested. "You can't just –"

Cyborg leaned closer, his arms still folded, staring into Changeling's eyes, a deep scowl on his face.

"I'm going to ask you only once more, Garfield. What. Did. You. Do?"

Changeling swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. When Cyborg called him by his real name, things were very serious.

"I… I'm not sure. That day we left the roof and we came to the infirmary, and she was about to check me up because my side was hurting, and she told me to take off my uniform, and I started to joke about it…"

Cyborg's hand covered his face as Changeling continued his story.

"… and then I told her she was hot, and beautiful, and she got mad at me, but not just mad, ya know, we're talking like with Dr. Light mad, and I thought 'this is it, goodbye cruel world', and then she left without a word…"

"I see" the half-robot said, his hand still covering his face. "Did you try to apologize?"

Garfield's reply was almost a whisper.

"Vic, I've been standing in front of her door every day since then, begging her to forgive me, but she's ignoring me" he said, his eyes on the floor. "I told her, I will do anything – anything at all, if she would only tell me –"

Cyborg's hand squeezed his shoulder.

"I'll talk to her" he said, turned around and was gone. Changeling sat on the lower bunk, his head in his hands.

* * *

Raven wasn't in the Ops room any more. Cyborg went to her room and knocked.

"Go away, Cyborg" came a muffled voice from inside.

"I'm not going away, little sis. I'm coming in. I suggest you open the door yourself, otherwise I'll use the security override."

The door hissed open. A black nimbus was enveloping her head, white sparks coursing through it, her hair standing on end.

"Tell me why I shouldn't just throw you into the sea" she growled at him.

"Because then I would swim out and walk back in, little sis. Then you would rip my legs off, and I would drag myself back in with my arms. Then you would tear off those, too, and I would just roll back in. And then you might kill me, but my ghost would be back to haunt you."

She glared at him. He returned the stare calmly, but she could both see and sense that he would not back down. She pulled back from the door.

"All right. Come in and make it short."

He strode in and barely managed to choke down a gasp. The usually clean, tidy room was orders of magnitude worse than last time. It looked like a tornado was sweeping through it unceasingly for a couple of days.

 _Which is more or less what has happened,_ he thought wryly.

His feet crunched on broken glass as he waded ankle-deep through paper, realizing with sadness that they were pages torn out of Raven's beloved books. The bed was almost destroyed, the mattress fortunately still in one piece, but laying on the floor. Broken pieces of furniture poked from the sea of torn paper like driftwood on a beach, half-buried in sand. A partially ripped drape hung listlessly, allowing him a glimpse of a large crack in the window. He turned to her.

"Talk to me, little sis."

"There's nothing to talk about, Cyborg."

He just gazed at her, releasing his love and concern and allowing them to pour into her. She shivered and turned away from him.

"I… don't want to… I can't talk about it."

"I have indulged that wish too many times, little sis" he said softly. "Maybe I shouldn't have. Maybe if I had put my foot down earlier you would have learned quicker how much we care for you and how much we want to help you."

"You can't help me, Vic."

"Stop that!" Cyborg said, still speaking softly, but the emphasis in his words was unmistakable. "We are not children any more. Maybe I can't solve your problem, but I can and will make you feel better, even if I have to beat some sense into you first."

She turned to him. "I suppose you can't make me feel any worse. What do you want to know?"

"You're still trying to avoid it. You know very well what I want."

She sighed. "You're right, Vic. But you know I'm not comfortable talking about such things."

"It's a lot more comfortable than going though it alone" he said.

She lifted her eyebrow. "You always manage to surprise me with your insight, Victor."

He frowned. "Don't try to flatter me to change the subject."

She smiled. "Right again. I wasn't trying consciously."

"I know. Now I want to know why. You are hurting yourself. You are hurting him, and knowing you're doing it, you're hurting yourself even more. Why?"

Her eyes clouded and she looked down. "Because I'm cursed, Vic. Because I mustn't feel this way for anyone. He just had the bad luck to be the one affected."

"That's where you are wrong" he said quietly. "This is –"

" _Wrong?_ What do you mean, _wrong?_ " she almost shouted. "Care to look around you a little? What do you think happened the other day? Can't you see _this?_ What kind of disaster would I unleash if we tried to… to…"

She closed her eyes, hugging herself, trying to calm down.

"I _have_ looked around!" Cyborg said fiercely. "But the only thing I see is you, wallowing in self-pity, taking the easy way out!"

She looked up at him, surprised, anger starting to bubble in her.

"What 'easy way out'? There _is_ no 'way out'!"

"And you've looked for it how long?" he said, grabbing her shoulders, staring at her, wishing he could shake her until she snapped out of it.

A pink blush appeared on her cheeks. "I… I've…"

"You've never tried. You just convinced yourself that it was the way it had to be. But it's not, Rae. You have to try. You have to look for a way. Even if it takes the rest of your life. Even if you never find it."

She looked at him, understanding flooding her. Her eyes narrowed as she realized what she had to do.

"Come with me" she said, as she searched for the mirror in the shambles of her room. Its magical aura guided her and she dug it out beneath a pile of torn paper, ripped fabric and broken furniture.

She took Cyborg's hand and lifted the mirror. "Let's get some butts kicked" she said, a determined look on her face.

* * *

Yellow's domain was new for Cyborg, but he was not able to admire it for long. Raven dragged him towards the temple-like building, where she was already waiting for herself.

"Get the others" Raven commanded. Yellow nodded. "They're all here, except for Red, who is chained, and Orange, who is sleeping."

"She's not sleeping, that's the problem" Raven growled. "Take us to Red!"

They materialized in Red's domain. _Now this place is familiar,_ Cyborg thought. Raven approached Red, dragging Cyborg by his hand, the other emoticlones in tow.

"I need you" she told Red. "But if you start making trouble, you will have an eternity to learn to regret it. Do I make myself clear?"

Red glared at her, then looked down. "I will not cause trouble. It has to be done."

"Good." With a wave of her hand, Raven dismissed the chains that bound Red. "Follow us."

As they walked, Pink tugged at Cyborg's arm, then whispered in his ear. He smiled, took her up and placed her on his shoulders. She laughed, ecstatic, as she drummed her bare heels on his chest.

"Horsie! Go!"

Raven turned and frowned at Pink, then shook her head. Cyborg looked at the other emoticlones. Green was studying him intently, as if she was appraising him. Red snapped her shark-like teeth at him.

"What're you staring at?"

"I said, no trouble!" Raven told her expressionlessly. Red's eyes dimmed. "No trouble" she agreed. "Tell him not to stare at me."

"He won't" she said and sent Cyborg a meaningful glance. He nodded. She turned to Purple, who had just taken hold of Cyborg's arm and was looking at him as if she was wondering about something, her cloak dark, a sultry smile on her lips.

"Control yourself, or I'll tell _him_ what you're doing!" Raven hissed at Purple. Purple dropped Cyborg's arm as if it burned and pouted at Raven.

She turned to Yellow. "Take us to Orange!"

The colors swirled. A stench of garbage assaulted their nostrils.

"Phew! This stinks worse that Gar's room used to!"

"At least I could make _him_ clean it" Raven grumbled as she approached the orange-cloaked figure. She was laying on a bed of garbage, absent-mindedly scratching herself. Her cloak was filthy and torn.

"Go back to sleep!" Raven told her.

"Can't. Too much shit going on."

"Ignore it and go back to sleep."

Orange rummaged around in the garbage around her, finding an old, torn undershirt, sniffing it and stuffing it into a pocket in her cloak.

"Don't wanna sleep."

"I am not asking" Raven said dangerously. Her tone finally got through to Orange.

"All right. Keep it down, willya?"

She picked her nose, wiped the finger on her cloak, nestled more comfortably in the bed of garbage and started snoring.

Raven turned to Yellow, disgust on her face. "Get us out of here!"

They appeared again in Yellow's domain, all gasping for clean air. Raven turned to her emoticlones.

"You two" she said, pointing at Red and Purple, "are going to work together. You will give me the strength that I need. You" she said, turning to Green, "will keep an eye on Orange and make sure she sleeps. Knock her out if you need to."

Green cracked her knuckles. "With pleasure!"

Raven looked up at Pink, still giggling, riding Cyborg's shoulders. "You just be yourself and keep everyone else happy. You'll forget anything else in less than a minute, anyway."

Pink laughed, nodding quickly and scampering down from Cyborg's shoulders.

"You will have to help me with the search" Raven told Yellow. "Keep your ears open to any ideas the others may have."

Yellow frowned. "I don't see how they can have any rational ideas –"

Raven's eyes narrowed as she glared at Yellow. "This is not a request. You will not close off any possible approaches just because of your prejudices. Do we understand each other?"

Yellow lifted an eyebrow, shrugged and said "As you wish."

Raven pushed her way through the others until she reached Grey, who was standing way back, her hood up, shivering apprehensively. She spoke softly to her, reassuring her.

"Calm down. I need you to do me a favor. Can you do it?"

"I… I'll try."

"That's all I ask. I need you to keep an eye on the rest and make sure they do what I told them to. Will that be OK with you?"

"Yes, I… I think I can do that."

Raven touched Grey's face tenderly. Surprisingly, Grey didn't flinch away.

"D-do you think he l-likes us?" she asked.

"Of course he does" Raven smiled at her.

Raven straightened and faced her aspects.

"All right, sisters. We're going to work together until we solve this. You will learn to listen to each other and respect each other. Or else."

They all nodded, some frowning, some shrugging.

"Good. I will keep an eye on you through Grey, so don't get any ideas. I will be back soon."

She turned to Cyborg. "Let's go back."

They appeared in her room.

"Now that was something" Cyborg commented. "Was Orange keeping you back?"

Raven chuckled. "Partly. She's my slothful aspect. But she's not only laziness; she's also reluctance to face problems, lack of will, the desire to relinquish control and just drift. You noticed her language?"

"Yes. I've never heard you using that word."

"Because I make an effort not to. She never makes any effort."

"So she was blocking you from acting, but you've used her own influence against her, putting her to sleep" Cyborg concluded, understanding.

"It's not only that. My aspects were pulling each her own way, not coordinating themselves and working together as they should. And what's worse, they knew it was wrong, but they couldn't do anything about it. It was _my_ duty to step in and whip them into shape. Did you see that none of them really complained, let alone put up a fight?"

Cyborg nodded. "Even Red went along with it willingly."

"That's right. They may be different aspects of me, but they're still _me_."

A smile finally lit up Cyborg's face. "I'm really glad you've let me see that, little sis. Now I know that if there is a way, you will find it."

She smiled shyly, her gaze dropping to the ground, as if all the assertiveness she displayed until that moment was finally spent.

"Do me one last favor, Vic" she told him.

"Shoot."

"Ask Gar to come here. I need to talk to him."

"I'll be very happy to do it, Rae" he answered, a big grin spreading on his face.

She smiled as she watched him leave, then sighed. There was a lot of work to be done.

* * *

Raven was listlessly trying to pick up the torn papers, looking at the page numbers and classifying them in hopes of repairing the damage to the books. It was a herculean task; most of her books were unbound and practically destroyed. She still hoped that with a lot of work and some judicious use of her powers she would be able to rescue at least part of her collection. Much more importantly, it would give her a long, difficult task that would keep her body and mind busy and away from… her problem.

She heard a knock on the door. Her heart started beating faster as she thought for a moment that it could be Garfield, but she sensed someone else. She sighed and sent a telekinetic command to the door, opening it.

"Friend Raven? May I come in?" Starfire asked shyly from the doorframe.

"Of course, Star. I'm sorry for the mess, and that I can't offer you a place to sit, but as you can see…"

Starfire floated into the room, looking around. "I can indeed see. Do not concern yourself for the lack of the seating arrangements. I am in the comfort as I am now."

Starfire's usual joy and effervescence was subdued today, probably commiserating with Raven's predicament. It deepened Raven's misery as she blamed herself that her own anguish dampened the alien girl's natural happiness.

Starfire was not an empath, but no great power or knowledge was needed to understand that Raven was hurting. She floated over to Raven and took her in a gentle embrace, much different from her usual enthusiastic, rib-crunching hug. For once Raven did not shy away from it.

The physical contact allowed Raven a much clearer view into Starfire's emotions. While her happiness and sheer joy to be alive may have been subdued, they still burned fiercely in her core, impossible to extinguish. Raven felt like coming home from a cold, wet night to a welcoming hearth fire burning warmly, driving away the cold and the darkness. She allowed Starfire's feelings to seep into her, slowly drowning her own sorrow and anguish. She lowered her head on the tall alien's shoulder and sighed.

Starfire held her gently for a few moments. She lowered her glowing green eyes and met Raven's violet orbs.

"Do you wish to do the talking about it, friend Raven?" Starfire asked quietly.

Raven just shook her head, lowering it again on Starfire's shoulder. She remained like that for a few moments more, using Starfire's feelings to balance her own, peace finally washing over her for the first time in days. She pushed Starfire gently away.

"We'll talk later, Kori. I am fine now. You did much for me."

"It is but the smallest of the doings for you, friend Raven" Starfire said as she floated out. "Please bring it to my attention when you have the wish to do the talking."

"I will. I promise. Our… agreement… still stands" she said as she gave Starfire a small smile.

Starfire returned her smile and floated away.

* * *

"Whoa! What happened here, momma?" he exclaimed as he entered and saw the state her room was in.

"Gar. Thank you for coming" she greeted him with a small smile.

"Cy told me you wanted to talk to me" he said.

"I did. I'm sorry I dragged you over here when I should have gone to you."

The words rushed out of him. "Before you say anything, Rae, I want to –"

"No!" Raven cut him off with an imperious gesture. "Do not apologize. You did nothing wrong. I misunderstood you and I overreacted."

Changeling was puzzled. "If that's what you want, Rae."

"It is" she said and walked to the door, looking outside and making sure there was nobody around. She closed the door and turned to him.

"Find yourself a place to sit" she told him, still unsure of what to say and how to do it.

Changeling cleared a patch on the floor and sat cross-legged down, looking at her. She walked over and sat beside him, her legs curled under her.

"Gar, I'm… I'm aware of your feelings towards me" she finally said. She lifted a hand to forestall him as his eyes widened and he opened his mouth. "Please. I'm an empath. The only strange thing about it is that I did not recognize it earlier."

He looked at the floor, a blush creeping up his face.

"Love is difficult to tell from simple affection, and the different kinds of love can easily be confused" she went on, feeling the urge to explain it to him. "The love for a friend, a brother, a parent or a child. Or romantic love." Part of her mind realized she was stalling for time, not wishing to come out with what she really had to. "They are all very similar. This is why it took me so long to… understand."

She felt his embarrassment rise. She took his hand into hers. "There is no need to feel shame, Garfield. I… I share your feelings."

His eyes snapped up at her, wide in amazement. The sudden rush of hopefulness and disbelief bursting from him dazed her. His hand went up and touched her cheek.

"Rae, I… You do?"

She rose and levitated away, her back to him.

"It is not simple, Garfield. People usually do not talk about this, they just… kiss… and there is no need for words."

She turned around, looking at him. Her eyes glowed with sorrow.

"But what I said before stands. You saw the consequences. I cannot love anyone, except at arm's length."

He got up and approached her as she looked down, suddenly afraid. Part of her wanted to bolt away, to teleport, to phase out, to be anywhere but there. She felt his arms going around her.

"Look at me, Raven."

She looked up into his green eyes and saw the love she felt in him shining there.

"I don't care. As long as I know you love me, I don't care."

She turned her head away. "I'm… sorry, Gar. I wish I could offer you more…"

"Nobody could offer more, Raven."

She lowered her head on his chest and closed her eyes. His heart was drumming crazily, a mixture of love, disbelief and exultation radiating from him, almost drowning her in its wonderful waves. But he kept an outward calm, stroking her hair and hugging her close.

She opened herself to his emotions, feeling them flow in and envelop her in a comforting, calming glow. It brought her peace and soothed her own swirling emotions back into tranquility. Part of her mind saw fit to comment that his influence calmed her more in a few seconds than meditation did in an hour.

The words tumbled out of him without conscious thought. "Y'know, Rae, I never admitted it even to myself, but Cyborg did sniff it out, even if I denied it, I mean, I kinda always liked you, and you were always on my mind, so much that I had to draw you as I remembered you, sometimes thoughtful, sometimes mysterious, sometimes even frightening, but I was always feeling the urge to be close to you and I always needed to look at you –"

"Gar" she interrupted him gently.

"Huh? Sorry, I was –"

"I know. Can you do me a great favor?"

He smiled down at her.

"Just shut up and hold you?"

She nodded, smiling back, pressing herself closer and embracing him harder.


	10. Chapter 10

"Finally!" she exclaimed, scowling at the small screen. "You have delayed me long enough!"

"There was a lot of new information to process. The original plan had to be modified and new elements introduced and tested. But as I said, we are prepared now."

"Good. I vill be ready to strike as soon as ze chance presents itself."

"Excellent. Now pay careful attention to what you must do"

She concentrated on his instructions, scrupulously storing them in her mind, already planning her next move. But her fingers twitched and her eyes narrowed as she could almost taste the pleasure that was awaiting her.

 _Soon. Very soon._

* * *

"Earl Grey?" he asked as he placed the tray on the coffee table in front of her.

"Any time" she replied with a smile. "It's a big favorite of mine."

"Cool. So every time my imagination deserts me I can fall back on it!"

Instead of answering, she just touched his hand to thank him and poured her tea.

"You want some, um, sugar? I mean, in the literal sense" he grinned.

"Garfield, don't be a barbarian!" she scolded him gently. "You don't put sugar in Earl Grey!"

He laughed. "I had no idea there were rules for drinking tea!"

She looked at him, placed her cup on the coffee table, took his head in her hands and planted a quick but firm kiss on his lips.

"At least I can do that without breaking anything" she whispered to him. He blushed and smiled at her.

"What was that for? Not that I'm complaining, mind you!"

"For waking up early and making me tea, and for being sweet, and childish, and clueless about the proper way of drinking Earl Grey" she enumerated. "And because I felt like it."

* * *

Cyborg walked into the Ops room, noticing Raven sitting on the couch, reading a book, the teapot and cups in front of her on the coffee table.

"Mornin', Rae! Sleep well?"

"Good morning, Victor. I did, thanks" she replied, not lifting her eyes from the book.

As he walked to the counter to start preparing breakfast, he glanced at her again, then stopped in mid-stride and gaped. There was a large, green cat curled beside her and she was scratching it gently behind the ears with one hand while reading.

"Um… Raven? That cat you're scratching… it's _green_ … is that… Garfield?"

"I certainly hope so" she said, deadpan, still keeping her eyes on the book. "I'm not in the habit of scratching any stray cats that may wander in here."

Cyborg opened his mouth to say something, then thought better of it and walked over to the fridge, opening it and rummaging inside. As he gathered all that he needed to make breakfast, he straightened, closed the fridge and looked again at her, a smile creasing his face.

"Well, I'm mighty glad about the two of you finally hitting it off. But I gotta say I was expecting something more… exuberant."

"Were you expecting fireworks? A big party? A marching band?" Raven said without lifting her eyes from the book, but her voice held the unmistakable sharp, cold edge she usually reserved for Changeling when he got obnoxious. Not that Cyborg wasn't on its receiving end times enough for him to know he should tread warily. The green cat lifted its head and stared at him with a look of mixed disdain and annoyance that only cats can produce. Raven's fingers moved to scratching beneath its jaw for a while, until it closed its eyes and lowered its head again.

Cyborg busied himself with the breakfast ingredients, shaking his head, his smile turning into a big grin. "Say what you want, little sis, but excuse me if I can't resist feeling happy about it."

She finally looked up at him and he noticed a smile lighting up her face.

"Well, if you really want to do something to mark the occasion, I suggest you make a nice breakfast for us all." She looked at the cat curled up beside her. "What do you think, Gar? Waffles?"

The cat meowed, rubbed its head against her hand and started purring.

"Waffles it is" Cyborg said and turned to his work, still shaking his head.

While he was busy, Starfire and Nightwing entered the room, their arms entwined, whispering softly to each other.

 _Man, where's the popcorn when you need it?_ Cyborg thought for himself as he watched expectantly to see Nightwing's and Starfire's reaction.

Starfire was the first to notice the odd couple. She shrieked, flew a loop and landed in front of them, grasping them both in a dangerously excited hug.

"My friends!" she cried. "You are in the togetherness finally!"

Changeling managed to morph into a snake and slither out of her embrace, but Raven was blinded by the overwhelming joy and elation that was bursting out of the Tamaranian like a supernova explosion. She was certain she could hear her bones creak under the assault, but for a few seconds she was unable to call on her power and phase out of the hug. Luckily, Starfire toned down her embrace to a less painful level while she whirled in the air, still holding Raven, making her dizzy.

Starfire finally floated down and released Raven from her hug. The sorceress staggered to the couch and sat down heavily on it, her head spinning both from the alien girl's whirling hug and the sheer intensity of the happiness Starfire was pouring out.

"Please, Kori, control yourself, you're making me dizzy!" she snapped at Starfire, then sighed, realizing she was being rude to her friend. "Sorry, Star. Remember that I'm an empath. Your happiness… It's like someone shining a giant searchlight in my face!"

Starfire finally managed to establish some sort of control over her emotions. She flitted over to Raven and placed her hands on Raven's shoulders, giggling.

"I understand, friend Raven. I offer you the apologies for the bursting out of my feelings."

Raven nodded, calming down and slowly reestablishing her upset balance. She smiled at the alien. "Please do not apologize. It is… comforting… to know that my friends care so much for me – for us" she said.

Starfire gave her a peck on the cheek and looked at her seriously.

"You shall give me the full account soon" she said quietly. "But I shall now leave you to the enjoyment of each other."

She floated over to Changeling, giving him also a fierce hug and a kiss on the cheek, then flitted over to Nightwing. Changeling walked over to Raven and sat beside her, again turning into a large, green cat, hopping into her lap and curling up there. She scowled down at him, grabbed the cat behind the neck and lifted it up, glaring into its eyes.

"Don't push it, Garfield" she said quietly but dangerously. Then her eyes softened and a smirk appeared on her face. "Leave that for when we're alone." She put the cat down beside her. Changeling curled up again, meowed softly and closed his eyes as her fingers resumed her gentle scratching.

Nightwing noticed Starfire's happiness as he sat behind the counter. He looked at Cyborg with a puzzled expression.

"What's going on, Vic? What's got Starfire so excited?"

Cyborg smirked down at the team leader. "For a great detective, you're pretty clueless, aren't you?"

Nightwing frowned and looked back at the couple. His eyes slowly widened. He turned back to Cyborg, his mouth open. "You mean… they… but…"

Cyborg's face was serious. "Y'know, Richard, you should pay more attention to the emotional state of your team. It's not all training and powers."

"Yes, but…"

"You have broken the fast, yes?" Starfire spoke to Nightwing, interrupting them as she floated closer, her eyes glowing an intense emerald.

"I was just serving it" Cyborg said and dropped off a large plate of waffles in front of them. "If you'll excuse me for a second…"

He retreated a few steps and activated his internal communicator.

"Sarah? Hey, it's Vic. Listen, do you mind if I drop by in a few minutes? The atmosphere here in the Tower is a bit… thick. I need some fresh air. No, no problems at all, just the opposite. I'll tell ya all about it when I get there. You're not going to believe it. See ya in ten!"

* * *

"You sure you don't wanna come with us, momma?" Changeling asked, hopeful. Raven smiled at him and shook her head.

"I am, Gar. I'll grant you that now the reasons are different, but I still prefer not to go."

He realized she needed a little time to herself in order to sort out her feelings and achieve her inner balance, so he decided not to push the issue.

"OK, Rae. If you need me, just give me a call!"

"You'll be out for one afternoon, Gar. I think I'll manage to survive" she said with a bit more sarcasm than she wanted. She tensed, afraid she'd hurt his feelings.

He laughed, brushing it off. "Sorry, I was a bit heavy there. You're right."

"You all have fun and don't worry about me. I'll meditate and listen to music and amuse myself trying to restore some of my books. I've got a full afternoon ahead, just as you do."

As they left, she put on Bach's _Third Brandenburg Concerto_ and busied herself organizing the pages torn from the books into ever-growing piles. She let her thoughts wander as she performed the mindless task, allowing the fractal, almost geometric quality of Bach's music to infuse her soul with tranquility.

The music finished, but she did not notice, concentrated on her task. Soon, however, she became aware of a presence behind her. She focused on it, recognized it and smiled.

"If this isn't a stroke of bad luck. What brings you here?"

"I came to ream you out!" Jinx replied, a tinge of anger apparent both in her voice and in her aura. "Why didn't you tell me? Why do I have to find out from Star what happened?"

Raven turned to her, smiling at her friend. "Because it happened only a few hours ago!" she replied soothingly. "I was going to call you tonight."

Jinx was frowning as she approached her, then her face lit up and her trademark sneer appeared on it.

"Of all the choices you had, you went for Garfield?" Jinx asked. Raven frowned. "What's wrong with him? He's –" she felt the laughter bubbling up in Jinx and realized she fell for her teasing. She rolled her eyes as the pink witch came closer and embraced her.

"I'm so happy for you, Rae" she told her, all sarcasm gone. "Now tell me everything and don't hold back."

"Only if you help me get these papers in order."

"I guess the price of admission is worth it. Now spill it!" Jinx said as she moved over and picked up a bundle of pages, checking the numbers and ordering them.

Raven talked as they worked, Jinx listening intently and encouraging Raven to go on with short replies and grunts. When Raven finally finished the story, Jinx continued working silently for a few seconds before looking up into Raven's eyes.

"That's a hell of a story, Rae. But you haven't told me everything."

"The rest is my problem" Raven replied, suddenly cold and distant.

"Rae, what went wrong? This –" she said, emphatically waving a handful of torn pages, "– did not happen by itself!"

Raven sat down on the couch, silent, her eyes down. Jinx sat beside her and placed a hand around her shoulder.

"What is it?"

"I'm afraid, Jinx. I can't… The papers. When I… when he told me I'm beautiful, my power got loose, and I… my books were destroyed. You should see my room, or what remains of it. And when he kissed me… I smashed the window, destroyed all the light fixtures."

Jinx looked at her, frowning, as Raven stared at the floor.

"Have you tried a containment spell?"

"I would have to concentrate on it to keep it active. You'll understand how difficult that would be while kissing, or…"

"Hmmm. A magic absorbing element? They are external, so you don't have to think about it."

"Thought of that, too. Won't work. I don't think even a pure adamantium monocrystal could keep in the amount of power I project. And if it overloads…"

"Maybe teleport to another plane while you do it? Somewhere where you can cause no damage?"

"There may be places like that, but my power could turn against us, unwillingly, no matter where we are."

"Humph! That exhausts my knowledge. But then again, I never studied it like you did. Any other ideas?"

"I've been giving it a lot of thought, believe me" Raven said with a painful smile. "But I can't think of anything that would work or that wouldn't have… consequences."

A shiver passed through Jinx. "What the hell are you talking about? Giving up your power?"

Raven turned her head and stared at Jinx hard.

"If I knew how, I'd do it."

Jinx shuddered. "Don't talk like that, Rae!"

Raven shook her head and looked down again. "I'm sick of it, Jinx. My power gave me much. Without it I would never have met the others, or you, or _him_. But I'm finding the price to be way too high as of lately."

Jinx got up and started pacing around the Ops room.

"This is bullshit! _Someone_ must know _something_ that could help you!"

Raven snorted. "Anybody on your mind? Except for my… for Trigon, no one else has the kind of knowledge…" her voice trailed off. Jinx continued pacing the room, deep in thought.

"I'm an idiot!" Raven said suddenly. "And you – you're a genius, Jinx!"

"I am?" Jinx said, puzzled, as Raven grabbed her by the hand and dragged her off to her room.

* * *

"What's going on, Rae? What's on your mind?"

"Help me find the Mellethian powder" she said as she rummaged through the debris littering her room. "Also look for Rhodian crystals and the Dust of Transmutation!"

"The Dust is blue?" Jinx said as she looked at a vial of coarse bluish powder she rescued from under a broken piece of furniture.

"More kind of greenish" Raven said. "But thanks for finding the cured Manawood sawdust for me!"

"You're welcome" Jinx grumbled as she continued the search.

Soon they found the necessary spell components. On Raven's prompting, Jinx cleared a six-foot space on the floor. Raven poured the components in a circle around them and sat cross-legged in the center of it, motioning for Jinx to join her.

"Would you mind telling me what we're doing?"

In the few years that Jinx knew her, she seldom saw Raven smile and never saw her grin. As she gaped at the sight of a grinning Raven, her mind trying to process what her eyes were showing her, she almost missed Raven's reply.

"We are going to get some answers. We are going to Azarath."

* * *

Raven dragged Jinx behind her until they reached the elevated platform where a lone figure stood, draped in a white cloak.

"Hello, Mother" Raven said.

Jinx's eyes widened. "Is that your…" she whispered. Raven squeezed her hand, silencing her.

The figure turned and greeted them.

"Raven! It is good to see you, daughter. It's been a long time."

"Too long, Mother. I'm sorry I didn't come earlier. I always seem to have something more urgent preventing me from coming."

Arella smiled indulgently. "As long as I am in your thoughts, I am content. Who is your friend?" A slight frown marred Arella's features. "I sense darkness in her, also. A different kind, maybe, but just as painful. What is your name, child?"

"I'm Jinx, Ma'am!"

"I see. An appropriate name for what you carry inside."

"Um… yeah, I guess. That's why I got the name."

Arella smiled at her and turned to Raven. "What brings you here? I sense it is not only daughterly love and devotion. You are uneasy."

Raven felt her face burn at the subtle rebuke, realizing it was well deserved.

"Arella, I… I need advice. I need wisdom."

Arella lifted an eyebrow. Jinx was struck by how incredibly alike the two appeared at that moment.

"Wisdom? From me?"

"Mother, you may have been foolish in your youth, but nobody could accuse you of it now" Raven said matter-of-factly, not flattering but simply stating an obvious truth. Arella sensed it and her smile widened.

"I'm listening."

"I've… found someone. He means a lot to me. But I can't… my powers…" she floundered, suddenly unable to say the words she had been preparing in her mind all this time.

"Oh, my dear Raven!" Arella said with concern. "I was dreading this day would come."

She stepped forward and embraced her daughter gently. Raven was stiff and uncomfortable.

"Dreading? Does that mean you can't help me?"

Arella looked into Raven's eyes. "You are quick to fall into despair. It means that I do not have a direct answer to your question. But you said you came seeking wisdom. If that is true, then allow me to express what little I have."

"I'm… sorry, Mother. After all that happened to me, can you blame me?"

Arella frowned at her.

"And what did happen to you? Everything that did ended well. The trials you had to go through only made you stronger and wiser in the end. And yet you persist with this idea that you are somehow cursed, unfortunate, unlucky. Your friend there –" she said, nodding at Jinx – "could tell you what 'unlucky' really means. You couldn't even start to imagine the number of people that would sell their very souls to change places with you and to have but part of the blessings that you have. Your beauty, your powers, your intelligence; even if they come together with your so-called curse. So stop feeling sorry for yourself and listen to me. Sometimes a positive attitude is all it takes."

Jinx snickered, then burst out laughing. Raven shot her a furious glance, but Jinx was not easily intimidated.

"Thank you, Ma'am!" she told Arella, her shoulders still shaking. "Your daughter – we all love her dearly, you know, but she takes her role of older sister to us way too seriously. Her dressing-downs are legendary and rightfully feared. Seeing her on the receiving end just made my day. I'm only sorry I didn't record it all!"

"If you are _quite_ finished with this, I believe Arella had something to tell me?" Raven said in a dangerous growl.

Arella placed a soothing hand on her shoulder. "Indeed I had. Your problems right now come from not being able to control your power. But that power is part of you, and as such I think it is inherently controllable, just like everything else. It may be a gift of your father, but it is as much you as your body and your soul. And if there is someone that can control it, that someone can only be you."

"But how do I do it? How do I control it?"

"That I cannot tell you. Just as I couldn't tell you how to walk, or how to love. And yet you learned those by yourself. I am convinced that this is not different."

"I… see. Thank you, Mother. You have given me much to think about."

"I am glad I did" Arella replied with a smile. "Before you leave, I have something for you."

Raven looked at her, raising an eyebrow. Arella's smile widened slightly. She reached into her cloak and removed a sealed letter, offering it to Raven.

"Before she left us, Azar gave me this letter with instructions to give it to you if we… survived."

"Azar?" Raven said, disbelievingly, as she reached and took the letter. She broke the seal gingerly and opened the letter with trembling hands.

 _My dear Raven,_

 _If you ever read this letter, it will mean two things. First, that you have vanquished your father, as I am hoping you will, and second, that I am no longer around to say this to you personally._

 _You now have more than sixteen years. It is time for you to start thinking about love and commitment to somebody. And yet you will find that your powers are making it impossible for you to bond to anyone closely, out of fear of unleashing the destructive, uncontrolled forces that you keep dormant._

 _This is the reason that I am writing this letter. I am convinced that there is a way. You must face yourself and understand yourself. You must accept who you are and what you carry inside as an indivisible part of you. It is not something to be ashamed of._

 _For a long time I have been harboring doubts about our way and our role in Azarath. Now, as my time approaches and I write this letter, I wish to impart this wisdom on you._

 _We have made a huge mistake. We thought that we could rid ourselves of evil as easily as taking off a filthy garment. But the evil we ripped out of ourselves took life of its own, and grew, and called itself Trigon, and it will now destroy us unless stopped by its own issue._

 _Cleansing ourselves of evil only made us complacent and weak. For all our power, we forgot that it is the constant battle between the good and the evil in oneself that forges a person into what he or she is. Once this duality is gone, so is this internal strife that keeps us strong and gives us hope and courage._

 _True transcendence and harmony does not lie in pure good, just as true power does not lie in pure evil. You, my child, have the best and the worst there is inside of you. If you understand this and bring the two halves of yourself into harmony, you will have nothing to fear any more._

 _Remember, there is always hope._

 _With all my love,_

 _Azar_

Raven folded the letter carefully and placed it into a pocket in her robes. She swallowed the lump in her throat and pushed the letter's contents from her mind. She would meditate on its meaning when she returned.

"Thank you, Mother. And thank you for your words. I will have to think on them and on what Azar said. But now I must leave."

She rose, motioning for Jinx to follow.

"Raven?"

"Yes, Arella?"

"Could you bring your boyfriend around one day so I can meet him? I _am_ interested, you know."

Raven smiled. "Of course I will, Mother. As soon as I resolve this little inconvenience I have right now."

Arella's hand touched her cheek. "I will be waiting, Raven. Do not be too long."

"I won't. Goodbye, Arella."

"Goodbye, Raven. And you, Jinx."

* * *

"Hop in, Greenbean, let's get ya back to your girlfriend!" Cyborg said teasingly.

"You guys go on ahead. I gotta do something first."

Cyborg chuckled. "As you wish. Come here first, gotta tell ya something!" he said.

Changeling approached. Cyborg whispered to him, winking.

"I know what you wanna do. Y'know, somehow I don't see Rae as a flower person. But there's something else, that no girl on Earth can resist."

"Oh, yeah? And what would this magic thing be?"

"Chocolates."

"Chocolates?" Changeling asked, surprised.

"Yup. You get her a box of chocolates and she'll melt in your arms."

Changeling suddenly frowned. "All right, Chrome Dome! If this is your idea of getting back at me for that –"

Cyborg lifted his hand, cutting him off, shaking his head.

"There's no way in hell I'd do that to the two of you, Gar!" he said fiercely, then his expression turned sly. "At least not now. Later, when you guys are more comfortable with your relationship, you're gonna be fair game, Evergreen!" He grinned hugely at Garfield and drove off.

Changeling watched him drive away with a smile, then morphed into a seagull and flew away, looking for a place to buy a box of chocolates.

Several dozen miniaturized, robotic eyes followed him. His image was transmitted to a small screen while a quiet alert sound informed the watcher that there was something going on. She glanced at the screen and flashed a malevolent smile.

"So. He has separated from his friends. Zis is ze chance I was waiting for!"

She quickly checked his path, then moved to intercept with thirty-foot-long strides that carried her forward with an incredible speed.

He flew over the rooftops towards the commercial hub when his bird's eye caught a glimpse of blue below. His gut wrenched as he recognized the crumpled figure in a blue hooded cloak lying unconscious on top of the roof.

 _Raven? What happened? Why is she… Is she hurt?_

He swooped down, flaring his wings and morphing back into himself as he bent over her, concern on his face.

"Rae? What happened –"

Something was wrong. Something in the back of his mind was howling danger at him, but he needed half a second to realize what it was.

There was no scent of jasmine, or mint, or sage. The only thing he could smell reminded him of… _rubber?_

He tried to take a step back. Her eyes opened and her left arm arced, the fist slamming into his temple and throwing him to the ground.

He tried to morph into a sparrow and fly away, but before he could another fist sank deep into his gut, bending him over. As he squirmed on the concrete roof, trying to get his breath back, she kicked him in the head, hard, as her right arm extended into a tentacle and wrapped itself around his neck, choking him. He tried to clear his head of the dancing white lights, tried to transform himself into anything that would let him defend, attack or run away, but the blows kept coming, not allowing him respite, while the tentacle around his neck squeezed ever harder, not letting him breathe and cutting off the flow of blood to his brain. His vision tunneled and darkened as he fought uselessly, her blows still raining on him, until finally darkness took him completely and his head slumped.

"Objective secured" she said into the mouthpiece. "Zis was too easy. Send in ze helicopter!"

"It will arrive in three minutes" the Brain informed her.


	11. Chapter 11

_I wonder where he went,_ Raven thought and smiled. _He's probably buying me some trinket._

She floated in a corner of the Ops room, watching her friends enjoy their pastimes. She sighed, unable to get rid of the unpleasant feeling that something was wrong.

 _He'll be back soon. No need to get anxious._

The main screen flickered into life, startling everyone.

"I see you are all gathered, Titans. That is an optimal situation" an artificial voice sounded from the speakers.

"Brain?" Nightwing said, scowling. "What do you want?"

"We have captured the green shapeshifter. You will now comply with our demand or he will die."

Everyone started talking at once, questions, disbelief and threats flying at the screen. Raven felt her blood turn to ice.

" _SILENCE!_ " she shouted. She floated closer to the screen, her friends suddenly not daring to even breathe.

"First you will give us proof, then we shall hear your demands" she said in a flat voice.

The screen panned to show Changeling pacing a small containment cell, his hands encased in power-disabling handcuffs.

"He is alive for the moment. That status may change according to your decisions and behavior" Brain stated in his emotionless voice.

"How do we know it's not Madam Rouge impersonating him?" Nightwing growled.

"Because I am here" her voice came through as the camera panned to the other side, showing her standing beside the Brain.

"What are your demands?" Raven asked. Her voice was flat and emotionless, her eyes calm.

"You, young sorceress, shall present yourself to the coordinates displayed on the bottom part of the screen within the next twenty four hours. There you shall receive instructions in order to complete a task for us. If this task is performed to our satisfaction, we shall release your friend. If not, he will die."

"I see. Anything else?"

"Of course. If you fail your task, he will die. If you do not appear within twenty four hours, he will die. If you do not come alone, he will die. If anyone else leaves the Tower in that time period, he will die. If any of the more than one hundred drones that are monitoring the Tower and its surrounding area stops transmitting for any reason, he will die."

"I will be there."

"Good. The countdown starts now."

* * *

"You're not serious!"

Raven looked at Nightwing. "Of course I am" she said calmly. "There is no other option."

"It's obviously a trap!"

"At least we can agree on that. Do you see any alternative?"

"We could try to sneak out of the Tower together, then strike at them…"

"You yourself don't believe that's possible. We have no idea where he is, how to reach him or what the opposition may be."

"I will _not_ let you go!" Nightwing shouted, slamming his fist on the table. "We may have lost a member of the team already, and I'll be damned if we lose another one!"

"You are welcome to try and stop me" she said calmly.

Nightwing glared at her, then his eyes filled with concern. "Raven, please, be reasonable…"

"I am being reasonable. As much as can be expected from me in this situation."

He turned to the others. "Vic? Kori? Can either one of you make her _see?_ "

"You're wasting your time, Richard" Raven said. "They would not be able to convince me, just as you couldn't. I have to do it."

Nightwing sat down again, his elbows on the table, his head in his hands. He sat like that for a few seconds, then lifted his gaze.

"Raven, I beg you, for our friendship's sake…"

"Please don't do that, Richard. Don't make me choose. You may not like my choice."

She rose and moved to the door. As she reached it, she turned around and spoke softly.

"If I return… _When_ I return –" she corrected herself, "– you will have the resignation to my post with the Titans on your desk within the hour."

He stared at her, disbelieving. "Resignation? What are you talking about? What for?"

Her eyes were calm and her voice soft and steady as she replied.

"Because I will kill them all" she said and left the room.

* * *

Red's domain was in turmoil. Raven floated over the dark, dismal path, littered with crushed obsidian. Trying to walk it would only cut first her boots and then her feet to ribbons. The ground shook; cracks appeared suddenly, lava sometimes geysering out and falling around her in scarlet streams that darkened and cooled quickly. Noxious gases billowed out of the torn, rocky ground. The black dome around her protected her from the gases and the molten rock as she approached Red.

She was not surprised to see her in the company of Purple, realizing it was only natural, given the circumstances. She closed warily with them. Red was floating, her arms extended, her head thrown back and her fists clenched. Reddish-black streaks of lightning blasted from her four eyes periodically, striking randomly around her, cracking the diamond-hard obsidian, tearing the ground asunder, the superheated air they left behind displaced in cracks of deafening thunder. Purple sat silent, hugging her knees, an expression of despair on her face. Raven reached them and scowled at them both.

"You're not helping" she said quietly, but her voice carried over the thunder of Red's rage.

Red looked at her, a few strands of lightning from her eyes striking Raven's protective dome and fizzling out. She slowly unclenched her fists and floated down as Purple got up. Soon they both stood in front of her, staring at her, calm enough to be able to communicate.

"That's better. If we want to get him out of there, we need to be smart about it."

"Smart?" Red hissed at her. "You're talking to the wrong aspect. Go talk to Yellow if you want smart."

"They will be punished. I will give you their lives."

"Their _lives?_ I want them to _suffer!_ " Red roared. "You want my cooperation? Only if you give them to our Father!"

In spite of all the hatred, despair and rage that she was barely able to contain, Raven was appalled. "Out of the question. Whatever they did, an eternity of torture is _not_ a fit punishment!"

"I just want him back!" Purple moaned. "Do what she wants, please, sister!"

Red's eyes blazed. "You have heard our demand. Take it or leave it."

Raven shuddered. "I can't do that. Not even to them. Not even for him."

Red's eyes were uncompromising. Raven looked at Purple. Her cloak was changing hues quickly and her face was a mask of anguish, but it was clear that she was in complete agreement with Red.

"We all agree, sister" came a voice behind her. She turned around to see her other aspects gathered, staring at her.

"We must fight them! Defeat them! We need strength! What happens after, I don't care!" Green said coldly.

Orange scratched herself and yawned. "Whatever. Give'em to Father. I wanna sleep."

"They knew what they were getting themselves into. They knew who you are and what you can do. If they didn't take that into account when planning, it's their problem, not ours" Yellow agreed.

Pink didn't say anything. She avoided Raven's eyes and instead floated over to Purple, placing an arm around her shoulders, trying to comfort her.

"I _can't do that!_ " Raven shouted. "I don't care if all of you are against me. It is _wrong!_ "

A blast of lightning struck her dome. The power was such that her protective bubble dissolved and Raven was thrown down on the ground. She twisted around, looking back at Red in amazement.

"I told you he would set me free" Red snarled at her. "I told you the others would help. It was only a question of _when_."

Red bared her teeth, ready to rip and rend. "Now I will do what I have to do. What the others _want_ me to do. And then I will deal with _you_."

Her four eyes lit up with infernal fire. Raven gasped, expecting to be struck down any moment. Crystal chains snaked out from the cliff wall to snap around Raven's wrists and ankles, then retracted, dragging her with them, slamming her into the unyielding obsidian.

"I will keep you chained here, like you did to me" Red hissed. "You will watch and despair, like I had to!"

A soft voice cut her off. "I… I don't think it's a good idea. Please, sisters, let us not fight. It… scares me."

They all turned to see Grey float over, her hood up. She levitated over to Red and faced her.

"Please, Red Sister… Elder Sister is right. She knows best."

Reddish-black lightning seared from Red's eyes towards Grey, but Raven noticed that the bolts curled around and over her, careful not to touch her.

Grey flinched at the fireworks, but held her ground. Her hand went up to touch Red's face. "Please… You don't have to be Yellow Sister to know that it would doom us. That it would doom _him_."

Purple moaned again. " _NO!_ "

"I will _TEAR THEM TO PIECES!_ " Red screamed at Grey. The ground shook and cracked open, lava bursting out, illuminating everything in an infernal, harsh, red glow.

Grey hunched her head and shuddered, but she did not back down. "You will try, sister. And you will fail, and it will all be for nothing."

 _She's projecting doubts into Red!_ Raven understood suddenly, awestruck. _I'm being saved by my own weakness and insecurity!_

Grey was still facing Red, looking pleadingly into her eyes as their fire slowly burned lower, until it dimmed to bright embers.

"We cannot do it on our own, Red Sister... W-we need to work together… please…"

The chains snapped open and vanished into the glass-like wall. Raven fell to her knees, then got up and stepped closer. Red turned to her.

"You will let me loose on them?" she asked her, then glanced at Grey. "She will keep me from getting too… enthusiastic."

Raven looked at Grey. "Can you do that?"

"Yes, we… we can work together."

Her eyes went from Red to Grey and back. She reached a decision.

"Very well" she said. "We have work to do. We leave right away."

* * *

Nightwing tapped gently the dart with his nail, removing any bubbles that could have formed beneath the hypodermic needle. Satisfied, he placed it beside the other two darts he had already prepared.

"What are you doing?" came Cyborg's voice from the doorway.

"Etorphine" he answered curtly.

"She's not an elephant, you know."

"I'd rather go overboard on this one" Nightwing said, not turning around.

"You can't do this, Richard."

He rose slowly from his chair and turned to face Cyborg.

"What I can't do is let her go and get killed!" he said, trying to keep the rage from his voice. "I can't let her, Vic. I won't let her."

Cyborg walked into the room and approached him.

"You must. Please, Richard. You're making a mistake."

"I don't care. I've lost family before. I won't let it happen again."

Cyborg scowled. "And what then? Let's say your little scheme works, and you manage to knock her out, and she doesn't rip you into little pieces in those three seconds before Etorphine starts acting. What then? Have you thought about it?"

"I don't care, Victor. She will live, and that's what matters."

"I wonder if she will. I wonder if we won't end up having to kill her."

Nightwing stared hard at his friend. "What are you babbling about?"

"Wake the fuck up, Richard!" Cyborg shouted. "All her life she's been living on the razor's edge, and now you're gonna push her into despair and hatred? Do you have any idea what it could do to her? Do you have any idea what it could turn her into?"

Realization slowly started filtering into Nightwing's tortured mind. "You mean…"

"I mean that in the best case scenario, you will have a depressed sorceress with suicidal tendencies in the Tower. Worst case scenario? She starts hating us for what you've done to her, her demonic side prevails and we have an extremely powerful demon on our hands, one that could and would open a portal for her father to come into our realm!"

Nightwing stared at Cyborg for a few seconds, then shook his head, dismissing Cyborg's concerns.

"You're exaggerating. She'll be depressed for a few days or weeks, and then she'll pull out. We'll help her get over it."

"You are in the wrong, dear Dick" Starfire said as she floated in, her eyes glowing green. "You have a deep underestimation of the force of the emotions of friend Raven and the power of the destruction that they have."

"You, too?" Nightwing growled.

"I must stop you before you commit the act of the least intelligence" she said softly. "Friend Cyborg is in the right. Your action may turn friend Raven into a most unpleasant force of the evil."

Nightwing stared at her, then spoke quietly but fiercely. "You see, that is the problem. Both of you are full of these 'maybes', 'coulds' and 'perhapses'. But if she goes there, she won't be coming back, and that is a fact."

Starfire floated close to him and placed her hand over his.

"Dear Dick, what would happen if it was me instead of friend Changeling? Would you not try to perform the rescue, with the less of the regard for the safety of your own? Would you not have the hate for the others if they tried to keep you from doing what the feeling of your heart is telling you?"

Nightwing slumped back into the chair. He turned to look at the tranquilizer darts he had prepared, then with a furious sweep of his arm he sent them crashing against the far wall.

"Please leave me alone" he said over his shoulder, sitting at the desk, holding his head in his hands.


	12. Chapter 12

He was still sitting with his head in his hands when she appeared in the doorway.

"I'm off" she said simply.

He lifted his head and looked at her over his shoulder, then looked back at the desk.

"Rae, I…"

"I know. Don't torture yourself."

"I almost made a big mistake" he said, not lifting his eyes, trying to keep his hands and his voice steady.

"I told you, I know. That is why I came, I know everything that was said. Don't forget the bond we share."

He kept staring at the desk. "I just hope… you and Garfield can forgive me."

She floated over and leaned on the desk, looking at him. He still avoided her gaze.

"I have forgiven you already, Richard. And Gar… When did you last see him holding a grudge? No, it's not us that need to forgive you" she said as she placed her hand over his. "You have to forgive yourself."

She looked at him for a few seconds, waiting for him to get over it and meet her eyes, but he studiously stared at the desk.

"You are not Batman" she said quietly. "Stop trying to be him."

His eyes snapped up at hers, widening. She smirked.

"I'd have to be blind not to see it, Richard. I didn't even need my empathic sense. You couldn't think of a way to rescue Gar, so you went into damage control mode. And that was a cold, ruthless, calculated decision. Something _you_ are not."

"I've allowed myself to lose hope" he said, his voice trembling. "If it wasn't for Victor and Kori…"

"As I said, stop torturing yourself. You have a lot to do and you know it."

He took a deep breath and looked at his watch. "Twenty one hours and twelve minutes left. We'll follow after you the second the time runs out."

She squeezed his shoulder and walked to the door.

He rose from the chair and turned to her.

"Rae, before you leave…"

Almost at the door, she stopped and turned around, lifting an eyebrow.

"That resignation crap. Don't do it."

She looked down. "I had time to… think about it. I hope it will not come to that."

"Good. Because I'm not worried about you resigning. What I'm worried is what killing someone would do to you."

She nodded. "It's OK, I managed to… come to terms with myself. It… won't happen."

He studied her carefully. _But if Garfield has been injured or… worse, all bets are off. I know that, Raven._

She looked at him, understanding flowing between them.

"I have to go" she said, turning and leaving his room.

* * *

She flew for at least two hours before she neared her goal. Checking the GPS receiver built into her communicator, she made a course correction, studying the ground below her, looking for landmarks that may indicate what her final destination may be.

She landed and walked the last few yards until she came to the spot that corresponded exactly to the given coordinates. She looked around. The terrain was semi-desertic, a few scraggly, thorny shrubs eking out an existence by miserly guarding the little water they could squeeze from the dry soil and the cool night air. A few large boulders were strewn about, but nothing indicated any dwelling nearby.

She closed her eyes and listened to her empathic sense, trying to discern if there were any living beings around. At first she was only aware of the primal feelings of small animals scurrying around, but soon she frowned as she felt a decidedly malicious sensation of satisfaction and sadistic expectation. She opened her eyes and looked at where the emotion was coming from, seeing a boulder sprout arms and legs and transform into a tall woman with an evil sneer on her face.

"You have come. Zat is good."

"You will now take me to see him and confirm that he is still alive and unharmed" Raven said quietly, but the menace in her tone was almost palpable.

Madam Rouge's sneer widened. "Or else what? Do you really think zat you can harm _me?_ "

Raven's eyes glowed white in response. A black pit opened under Madame Rouge's feet and she fell in it, a surprised yell coming from her. The pit closed, and two seconds later a black disk appeared ten feet in the air. Madame Rouge fell through it down to the ground, smoldering, stinking of burnt rubber and brimstone.

"That was the Second Pit of Hell" Raven said coldly. "There are seven of them."

Rouge stared at Raven with murderous hatred in her eyes. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill your little friend right now!" she hissed.

"Because you need me. And because if you do, you'll wish you could go back to where I just sent you."

Madame Rouge took a deep breath, calming herself. _Not yet. Later. I vill make you both pay._

She fished a communicator from her pocket. "Ve are ready" she spoke into it and closed it, returning it to her pocket, still glaring daggers at Raven.

In just a few minutes the sound of a helicopter approaching could be heard. It soon landed, four robotic soldiers jumping out of it and surrounding Raven. One of the soldiers handed something to Madame Rouge. She took it and offered it to Raven.

"Disabler handcuffs" she said. "You vill understand zat I require you to have zis on."

"Only when I see that he is alive and unharmed" Raven said coldly. Rouge studied her for a few moments, then smiled and said "As you vish."

Unsettled by Rouge's sadistic smile and the feelings of hatred and gloating expectation coming from her, Raven allowed herself to be escorted into the helicopter.

The flight was short, ending on a helipad masterfully camouflaged against the desert-like ground. They exited the chopper, Madame Rouge leading, and came to a hidden airlock-like door. She typed a set of numbers on the keypad and the two-inch thick steel door slid open.

Raven followed Rouge down several short corridors until they reached a large room. She recognized it as the same room from where the call originated. She looked around and saw the containment cell, starting towards it immediately, forcing herself to walk normally and not run.

Changeling was laying on a mattress, his back turned. She approached, careful to keep away from the plasma field separating them.

"Garfield?"

He started and twisted around, searching for the source of the voice, then sprang up.

"Rae? Why are you here? Why did you come? You shouldn't have…"

"Hush, Gar. Everything will be fine."

"You vill now put zis on" Madame Rouge interrupted with icy satisfaction, giving Raven the handcuffs with one hand, brandishing a small transmitter in the other. "Or I vill press zis button."

Raven turned around and offered her hands. Rouge placed the disabler handcuffs on her, locking them and activating the dampening effect. Her smile turned into a malevolent grin.

Her fist struck Raven below the left eye, throwing her back and down to the ground.

"You little bitch! You presumed!" she hissed as she kicked Raven in the gut. As Raven doubled over, painfully trying to get her breath back, Rouge wrapped a tentacle-like hand around her throat and lifted her up. Again the fist smashed into Raven's face. "You threatened me!" Rouge hit her in the ear, Raven's head ringing as it was snapped sideways. "You attacked me!" Rouge sank another fist into Raven's belly and then kicked her in the head as she bent in pain. Raven flew several feet away, blood from her nose and smashed lips spurting out.

Raven lifted herself on her handcuffed hands and knees, trying to clear the lights dancing in front of her eyes, fighting to recover her breath. Rouge approached with a smile and smashed her foot into Raven's ribs, throwing her aside again. The tentacle-like arm slithered after her, wrapping around her, lifting her and tossing her against the wall, where she impacted with a sickening thud and collapsed to the floor.

Rouge laughed out cruelly as she noticed Changeling throwing himself against the plasma barrier, only to be bounced back, his elbows and knees smoldering, his face burnt.

"I am nothing if not efficient. Two for ze price of one!"

Changeling got up painfully. For all his anguish, he realized that his reaction only encouraged Rouge to go on. He huddled in the corner on the cell, his back turned and his hands covering his ears, trying to block the sound of the blows and of Raven's agonizing groans.

Rouge finally tired of her sport and dragged Raven's barely conscious, unresisting body towards the containment cell. She disabled the plasma field and lashed out at Changeling, bowling him over, keeping him back. She threw Raven inside, her body slamming into the wall and crumpling on the floor. Rouge reactivated the plasma field and laughed.

"Zat, little ones, was just the _entrée_. Ze main course vill come soon. And zen, ze _dessert_."

Changeling got up and staggered towards Raven. She had hit her head against the wall when Rouge threw her in and was unconscious.

 _That's not so bad,_ Changeling thought. _At least she doesn't feel the pain._

Hampered by the fact that the handcuffs covered his hands completely, he tried to move Raven into a more comfortable position. She coughed and a trickle of blood ran from her mouth. Changeling felt an icy stab in his chest.

 _Blood in the lungs. That means at least one broken rib. What do I do?_

He tried to lift her upper body a little so she could breathe easier.

 _I must prop her up somehow, or she'll drown in her own blood. But how?_

He tried to move the mattress using his arms and teeth. It was almost impossible to do without fingers, but he somehow managed to bend it and secure one side against the wall, while holding the other steady with one knee. He then looped his handcuffed arms around her and dragged her slowly and carefully, straightening her out, reclining her on the mattress. Her breathing came easier now, but she coughed again, a little more blood seeping out of her mouth. His nostrils flared as he sensed its coppery tang mingled with her own scent of aromatic herbs, the incense that she sometimes burned in her room and the soap and shampoo that she used. Something started moving in the back of his mind, a mindless rage slowly pervading him.

Changeling was not a stranger to rage. The cold, cruel one of the predator stalking its prey or the hot, volcanic one of the herbivore defending its turf. But this encompassed all of it, and more, and then it went even deeper. It was primal, unbounded, unreasoning and irresistible.

He forced his rage down, knowing it wouldn't help him, but it still simmered and bubbled inside. He shivered as he looked around the small cell, searching for anything that could be used to help them get away. After a while he gave up. He had done it countless times already. There was nothing that could break the barrier, nothing that could remove the handcuffs. He finally sat down beside her, his anguish overwhelming him as he watched the bruises on her face darken and the blood slowly congeal.

Her eyelids fluttered, then opened, her eyes unfocused. He bent over her.

"Rae?" he said softly.

She looked at him and started to smile, then the pain from her torn lips made her wince.

"Gar… You're well…"

"But you are not. We have to get you out of here!"

Her eyes cleared and sharpened. There was purpose in them.

"I know… kiss me…"

His brow creased, puzzled. "Um, Rae, is this the right moment? I mean, not that I wouldn't want to, you know, I'd love to, but I don't think we're in the right place –"

"Just… kiss me…"

"Rae, your lips are all torn up, it'll hurt you, I don't think –"

She frowned, her eyes filling with that mixture of exasperation and annoyance he knew so well.

"Gar… field… for once… just… shut up and… do it!"

He bent his head over hers and brushed his lips over hers gently. She surprised him as she suddenly pressed her lips against his, making him forget his apprehension as he lost himself in the whirlwind of emotions that exploded in his soul. Their kiss deepened, their lips pressing hard against each other, their tongues probing gently first, then more urgently.

A burst of black lightning shot from the jewel on her forehead and played around the room. The lights were the first to go. They were made of hard plastic, so as not to offer a possible cutting tool, but the force that assaulted them annihilated them easily. As the black arc continued sizzling around, electrical conduits in the wall overloaded and sparked until they burned out. It descended towards the sink, crumpling it as if it was made of cardboard, the thick plastic breaking in places. A crack appeared on one wall, the coating falling off and revealing the armored bulkhead underneath.

The black arc hummed and crackled as it moved onwards, until it touched her handcuffs. They exploded suddenly, pieces of them flying across the room. Garfield's own handcuffs were immediately covered in black mist, bursting apart.

And yet Garfield was not aware of all this. As he kissed her, he couldn't shake the image of her bruised, bloody face from his mind. His tongue cold feel her torn lips, his ears could catch the small whimper of pain coming from her. Each sensation heated the rage deep inside him, each strengthening it, causing it to overflow him, making him lose sight of what and who he was. As he sensed the taste of her blood in his mouth his mind finally and completely blanked out.

He rose up, his uniform stretching as the size of his chest, arms and legs increased. It burst open at the seams, the Beast emerging from it as if from a cocoon. Raven watched him, her features contorted in pain, but with a satisfied glow in her eyes. She managed to set them free and Rouge had unknowingly given them a powerful weapon. But it was not enough. Something more was needed if they were to escape, and Raven realized immediately what it was.

The Beast looked down at her, growling softly. It sniffed her, its growls becoming dangerous as it smelled her blood. Rage at whoever was responsible took it and it roared, turning to the plasma field and swiping a claw over it. The roar took on a painful note as the plasma burned it.

"Gar!" she said as loudly as she could, ignoring the agony that lanced through her every time she tried to take a breath. "Listen to me!"

The Beast turned back to her, a questioning rumble coming from its throat.

"We have to... do this together, Gar. Do not... be afraid."

The Beast snarled its consent. Raven closed her eyes.

 _Azarath Metrion Zinthos!_ she whispered. Her body transformed into a black, ghostly raven that opened its wings and floated above the Beast, then slowly descended as it entered the Beast's body, fusing with it, becoming one.

 _Red, meet the Beast. Beast, meet Red. You two have fun together now!_ she thought, then relinquished control.

The Beast lifted its arms and threw back its head, howling in triumph as four red eyes opened above its muzzle.

The plasma field might have been an air-conditioning unit for all the resistance and damage it offered as the Beast walked through it. It proceeded to smash and destroy everything it could see; machinery, equipment, computers, robotic soldiers. The alarm blared, calling more guards to subdue the prisoners. They ran in, firing their weapons, heavy slugs and laser beams striking the Beast.

The bullets bounced off, the beams did no damage. The Beast turned to them and roared, tearing a piece of machinery weighing at least five tons from its mountings with a deafening screech of torn metal, then hurling it at the attackers, blowing a large hole in their ranks. Additional squads of guard robots ran in to replace the destroyed ones.

Howling its pleasure for having more enemies to crush, it jumped over and in one sweep of its long, clawed arm ripped half a dozen robotic soldiers open, throwing them in pieces all around. With another swipe, five more enemies suffered the same fate. Soon the opposition in the room was reduced to a jumble of twisted metal and spare parts. The Beast sniffed the air, searching for its main enemy, then bounded down one hallway, leaving behind the scattered debris of what once were the robotic sentries of the Brotherhood of Evil.

The scent of rubber quickly brought it to the main Control Room. The four Brotherhood members were observing everything from the Command Center, thirty feet off the floor and behind a two-inch thick armored glass pane, proof against anything short of an armor-piercing round from a 120 mm tank gun.

Laser and chaingun turrets activated and sprayed energy and slugs all over the Beast. They lasted no more than a few seconds, as the Beast hurled itself towards the closest one, ripped it out of the floor and used it as a club to destroy the others.

A large side door opened and two enormous guard robots strode in. Each was at least twelve feet tall and weighed some twenty tons – most of it armor. With a challenging howl, the Beast fell on them.

These robots carried heavy weaponry, the caliber of the slugs and the power of the beams leaving a definite impression on the Beast. Enraged even more by the pain, it reached towards the closest robot and ripped off its Vulcan-cannon-equipped arm, using it as a club to strike the other one and throw it to the ground, while it tore limbs methodically off the first robot. As the second robot got up, the Beast rushed over and slammed its hand into the robot's body, the claws punching cleanly through several inches of composite steel armor. Roaring its victory, it discarded the remains of the huge robot as if tossing away a broken toy and turned to the Brotherhood members.

It crouched and jumped, smashing through the armored glass and dropping in their midst. It swiped Mallah away as if the giant gorilla was no more than a bothersome fly, slamming him against the wall. Immortus cut at the Beast with his sword, but it simply grabbed the blade, without appearing to suffer any damage, yanked it out of Immortus' hands, turned it around and stabbed it through him. Ages old dust poured out of the wound, as Immortus staggered back to escape the berserking monster.

Mallah recovered enough to see the Beast turn towards Rouge. Obeying a telepathic command, he quickly grabbed hold of the Brain and bounded away, carrying the Brain's case and leaving their comrades to their fate. Immortus climbed his hovering platform and floated out through the smashed plate glass, also escaping. Abandoned by her collaborators, Madame Rouge faced the Beast, a smirk of defiance on her face.

The Beast's clawed arm descended on Rouge in an arc, opening three large gashes in her body. Rouge laughed disdainfully as the gashes closed almost immediately. The Beast growled at Rouge with amusement, baring its teeth, lifting its claw and showing her the black flames that started dancing on the tips of its talons.

Rouge paled under her heavy makeup. The Beast roared and swiped its claw again, and this time the gashes did not close. It slashed at Rouge again and again, as the woman screamed her agony and tried to slither away from the burning talons that were causing her so much pain, but the Beast followed, rending, gouging and shredding until she finally managed to extrude herself through a ventilation duct. Small pieces of her body remained strewn around, curling up and disintegrating into fine dust as her mind's control over them disappeared. The Beast tore at the ventilation shaft, gouging out huge chunks out of the armored bulkhead and bedrock beneath, but it was unable to follow. Snarling contemptuously at its retreating opponent, it turned and loped off, searching for the exit.

The armored steel door exploded outwards, torn like paper. The Beast jumped out and bounded away, putting distance between it and the Brotherhood base, heading for the place where Raven met Madame Rouge. Reaching the spot it sniffed the air and swiveled its sensitive ears, making sure no danger lurked nearby. It lifted its snout and howled plaintively at the crescent moon. It sat on its haunches and bowed its head.

The ghostly black bird emerged from it and reformed into Raven. She swayed and collapsed, spent by the effort, still suffering from the wounds Rouge caused.

The Beast whimpered regretfully and sniffed at Raven carefully. Instinctively understanding it couldn't help her any more, it calmed down and allowed the transformation to reverse itself.

Changeling got up and moved closer, gently placing Raven in a more comfortable position, her back to a smooth boulder. He then realized he was completely naked, his transformation having destroyed his uniform and underclothes. He grinned and shrugged; there was not much he could do about it.

The next thing he had to do made him uneasy.

 _I hope you understand, Rae. Maybe it'll be better if you don't wake up until I finish._

He searched her cloak and frisked her, looking for her communicator.

 _If she wakes up and sees me pawing her, completely naked, she's gonna freak out and tear my limbs off one by one._

He finally found it, opening it quickly and calling.

"Come in, Chrome Dome! We could use some help!"

"Is that you, Evergreen? You guys OK?"

"Depends on what you mean by OK. I have no idea where we are and Rae is wounded. Would you guys mind giving us a lift back to the Tower?"

There was a silence for a moment, then Cyborg's voice came back.

"Cab's on the way. Hang in there, lil' buddy!"

Changeling smiled with relief, closed the communicator and sighed.

"Gar?"

"Rae? Don't speak, you're –"

"Gar, you need… to cover yourself. Desert nights… are cold. Take… my cloak."

He smirked. "For someone so smart, you're a bit slow, aren't you?" he said and promptly transformed into a green polar bear. He sauntered over and curled beside her, nuzzling her. She understood what he wanted and carefully moved herself over, grimacing at the pain every movement caused, finally sinking deep into the soft, welcoming fur on his side with a satisfied sigh.

He shifted his position slightly to accommodate her better and nuzzled her again. A large, wet and warm tongue licked her face.

"Gar… field! Don't… do that!"

He snuffed apologetically, gave her another nuzzle and sank his large head beside her. She put her arm around it and stroked him, relaxing.

"I could… get used… to this" she said, wincing painfully and snuggling a bit deeper into the warm fur. Finally feeling safe, she released the iron grip she had on herself and allowed unconsciousness to take her. The green polar bear waited, unmoving, watching and guarding.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Notes:**

I usually don't respond this way to reviews, because I prefer to do it directly. But that's impossible to do for Guest reviews, and the one I received from Sentinel certainly deserves a reply.

First, thanks for the kind words. It is always appreciated, and knowing people enjoy my story is a major motivation to go on.

The unfolding of Gar's and Rae's romance is slow because it's the only way I could present it to myself plausibly. You see, it was never the idea of Beast Boy and Raven being together that bothered me. It was always the feeling that they were _not doing enough_ for it to come to pass. I do think that there was attraction, maybe even a crush (especially on BB's side), but they had to stop wishing for the other to be something they are not and start recognizing, understanding and accepting themselves for what they are. Once they were capable of doing it, their love could blossom naturally.

As for your questions. 1 – No, because I don't want to change the rating, but see below. 2 – I'm just about finishing the story arc as I envisioned it, but again, see below, and 3 – Definitely. I'm just a big, romantic teddy bear. I love fluff.

Finally, your recommendation. It was on my mind as I was writing the previous chapter. This bond is a lot stronger than the one she has with Robin, yet I don't want it to be some kind of telepathy or other weirdness. I have started exploring it in this chapter and I hope I have it right.

Now for the alternative answer to your questions that I mentioned. As I said, the main story arc is basically done; the Brotherhood is defeated and our two lovebirds will soon start enjoying fully their relationship. But I still have a lot of stuff I want to write about, including some scenes that I didn't want to put in because they were out of place or the rating did not permit it. Now I don't have intentions of changing the rating and forcing all this random stuff into _Gifts_ , because it would destroy its continuity. My intention is to finish this one, close it and then start a new FF, one that would be a repository for all the one-shots I'm thinking of, without worrying about the plot. So stay tuned once this one is over.

Oh, and runner - you're absolutely right, but there were only so many synonyms I could use. Maybe I should have spread it around a bit more.

* * *

The T-ship was there in less than forty minutes. It divided into five modules that descended in a loud whine of underjets and settled down, the Titans jumping out of them even before the engines stopped. They surrounded the couple, alert, their weapons and powers ready.

Changeling transformed back into himself, holding a still unconscious Raven in his arms, trying to cover himself with the hem of her cloak.

"Hey, what's the idea? What the hell do you think you're doing threatening us –"

"What's my high score in _Mega Monkey 4?_ " Cyborg interrupted him.

"Huh? What kind of a dumb question is that?"

" _Answer it!_ " Cyborg shouted, his sonic cannon's barrel lighting up from within. Nightwing lifted a shuriken; Starfire floated up, her hands and eyes glowing a dangerous emerald.

Changeling gulped, realizing this was serious. "Five million, two hundred and eighty seven thousand–"

"Eighty _eight_ , Evergreen!" Cyborg said, relaxing, a grin appearing on his face. "I reached the level 38 boss this morning!"

Garfield grinned back. "It's still second place to the Master, Rust Brain!" His face became serious. "What's the idea?"

Nightwing frowned. "Do we really have to explain it?"

Changeling suddenly understood. "Oh, you mean Rouge. Yeah, of course. No problems."

They all looked at Raven. "She's clean!" he shouted protectively. "She's been with me all the time!"

"You sure, Grass Stain?" Cyborg asked, unconvinced.

"I am. Trust me. Besides, she's just too…" he swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. "Vic, please. Let's get her to the infirmary. I'm worried, she's… Rouge… she beat her up. Bad."

Cyborg approached and quickly scanned Raven. He looked at Nightwing, his face grim.

"She's in bad shape. We need to get her to the Tower right away. Her lungs are compromised and there's a lot of internal damage."

Nightwing nodded. "Get her into her module. We'll split up. You and Gar take her to the Tower. Slave her module to yours. Star and me are going after the Brotherhood."

He turned to Changeling. "Any idea where they are?"

"The base is some fifteen miles northwest from here" he said, not really sure how he knew it. He couldn't remember anything that came after the kiss. "Um… Star… Would you mind looking the other way? I'm kind of lacking in the clothing department."

Starfire ignored him. She was staring at where Garfield said the Brotherhood base was, her eyes glowing intensely, small green sparks flying from them.

"We should do the hurrying. I do not wish for them to perform the escape" she said and flew off Northwest.

Nightwing cursed softly. "Get Raven to the Tower. I'm going after Star."

He jumped into his module and took off. Cyborg scooped the still unconscious sorceress into his arms.

"Let's get you home, little sis!"

* * *

Cyborg finished connecting Raven to the medical monitors. Changeling stood, watching, still naked. Cyborg frowned at him.

"There's nothing you can do to help, Greenbean. Except to go get yourself some clothes."

Changeling wrenched his eyes from Raven and morphed into a sparrow, zooming away to his room. Less than two minutes later, he was back in the infirmary, dressed in a spare Doom Patrol uniform.

"What now, Vic?" he asked softly.

Cyborg placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Gar. She's out of danger, now that we're back. She'll heal herself good, just like last time."

"How long?" Changeling asked, looking at Raven, her prone form floating an inch above the bed.

"I have no idea. I've only seen her healing trance that one time."

They stood, watching her silently.

"Vic? Can I stay… here? With her?"

"Somehow I don't think I could drag you out even if I wanted to" Cyborg said with a smile, then his face got serious. "Did it happen again?"

"I… I think so. I think she knows more. My mind's basically a blank since the moment that we… that…" he shook his head. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"I'm afraid you will soon have to, Gar" Cyborg said, heaving a sigh. "Richard will put two and two together. He's good at that."

Changeling looked up at his friend.

"Y'know what, Vic? I don't care. I had to save her. She risked her life for me. Whatever the price to pay, I don't care."

* * *

Starfire and Nightwing returned after a few hours. She floated into the Ops room and went straight towards Cyborg, her eyes still glowing a vicious green.

"Friend Cyborg, how is the situation of our friend?" she asked curtly, with no trace of her usual joyfulness.

"She's not well, Star, but she's stable and in her healing trance. I hope she'll soon be back with us."

The glow in Starfire's eyes subsided a little. "May I have the permission to do the visit?"

"She's in a trance, Star. She is not conscious. But I can't think of any reason why you couldn't go see her."

"I give you very much of the thanks, friend Cyborg. I shall go at the immediate instant."

She lifted one of her small eyebrows at Nightwing, then floated off to visit her friend.

Nightwing sat at the counter, his eyes dazed. Cyborg studied him, noting that something was not quite right.

"What happened?" he asked. Nightwing's eyes met his and he shook himself, as if trying to clear his head.

"Huh? Nothing." Nightwing's eyes clouded again and he looked down.

"Don't give me that. Did you find the Brotherhood base?"

Nightwing still stared at the countertop, not listening.

"Hello? Earth to Richard Grayson? Did you find the Brotherhood base?"

"We did" he answered softly. He slowly looked up at Cyborg.

"And?" Cyborg asked impatiently.

"She destroyed it" he said, his voice awed. "Vic, she… _obliterated_ it. I've never seen her so… _enraged_ … in all these years. She left a crater a thousand feet wide. The only thing that remains there now is a huge hole in the ground full of rubble and half-melted metal."

Cyborg digested those words for a minute, then guffawed. "You and Evergreen just _had_ to go for the two girls that can tear the planet apart when they get angry!"

Nightwing snorted, then started laughing. Cyborg joined him and soon both of them were bent over, tears coming into their eyes, laughing uncontrollably, cleansing all the anxiety and anguish of the last twelve hours from them. As they slowly recovered, Nightwing spoke, still chuckling.

"I'll go check on Raven. See ya later." Cyborg nodded, smiling after him.

* * *

Starfire floated into the infirmary, her eyes still glowing dangerously. She was unable to fight off the rage that was seething in her.

A green mongoose was curled beside Raven's head. It looked up as Starfire floated in, then hopped off the bed and transformed into Changeling.

"How are the both of you doing the progressing?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Star. Nothing serious." He looked at Raven. "She's… getting better."

Starfire looked at Raven's prone body and saw the bruises and cuts on her face. The green glow in her eyes deepened and sparks again started to float out of them, rising to the ceiling, slowly extinguishing.

"I shall wreak the greatest of the vengeances for this" she said in a low voice. Changeling shuddered. "Star… please. You must calm down. Remember that she can sense your emotions. You may be upsetting her."

Starfire gave a small start, the green glow suddenly extinguishing.

"You are most correct, friend Changeling! I apologize if my… feelings brought the hurt on friend Raven in any of the forms."

"It's OK, Star. Just… let us try not to disturb her."

Starfire smiled, then hugged Changeling in her signature bear hug. She released him before his ribs could crack, then looked into his eyes.

"You have much of the love for friend Raven, yes?"

He blushed. "I… she saved my life. She came to rescue me. She put herself in danger –"

"That is not the question that I did the asking" Starfire cut him off gently.

His blush deepened and he looked down. "I... yes. Yes, I do."

"Glorious!" Starfire whispered fiercely, hugging Changeling again, only letting him go after his green color started turning bluish. "I wish you the most of the joy and the happiness!"

"I… Thanks, Star. It's very kind of you –" he stopped himself as he saw Nightwing walk into the infirmary. He pushed Starfire gently away and frowned.

"Hey, Gar. How's Raven? How are you?"

"Why'd you let her, Richard?" Changeling asked, a dangerous edge to his voice.

"What?"

Changeling walked up to Nightwing and leaned into him, his green eyes glowing with anger, his fists clenched.

"Why did you let her do it?"

"Gar, I…"

"She almost got killed!" he shouted. " _Why did you let her?_ "

"I… I didn't want to…"

"You're the goddamn leader of this bunch because you're supposed to be able to make the difficult choices! I was _bait!_ Bait for _her!_ It was obvious to _me_ , how the hell was it not obvious to _you?_ "

"Friend Changeling, it's not dear Dick's fault –"

Changeling turned to her. "Don't tell me it's not his fault. _He's the leader!_ He's the one that calls the shots!"

"We made the forcing on him, friend Changeling! He did not want –"

"Then it's his fault for _allowing_ himself to be forced!" he shouted.

"Garfield."

It was no more than a hoarse whisper, but he would have heard it in the middle of a war zone. He whirled and strode quickly to her side.

"Don't talk, Rae. You need to –"

"Shut up and… listen, Garfield. Do you… really think… he could… stop me?"

"But he should've –"

"There was… no power… in Heaven or Hell… that could… have stopped me."

"Rae, you almost died there –"

"Save… your anger… for those… who deserve it. Not… for your friends."

She closed her eyes and went into her trance again.

He breathed deeply, slowly unclenching his fists.

"Gar, I'm sorry…" Nightwing said.

"No, Richard. _I'm_ sorry. I was just too… angry. I had to snap at someone. But Rae's right. You didn't deserve it."

They stood silent for a few seconds, then Nightwing chuckled. Changeling looked at him, puzzled.

"What?"

"Just had a thought. Rae woke from a trance, all beaten up, just to ream you out. I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, man!"

"I… heard that… Richard."

"Friends, I think we should best do the shutting up now."

Changeling's lips curled into a wan smile. "I agree."

They all fell silent, watching Raven as she floated slightly above the bed. Nightwing cleared his throat, breaking the silence.

"I think we earned us some pizza" he said. "Let's go."

Nightwing and Starfire filed out. As he was leaving, Nightwing looked at Changeling from the doorway.

"You coming?"

"I'll… just stay here a while longer. You guys go ahead."

"I'll have Cy bring you some tofu-cheese veggie extravaganza" Nightwing said with a smile.

Changeling smiled back thankfully, transformed into a small otter and jumped up on the bed to curl up beside Raven's head.

* * *

Changeling's ear twitched. He was glad that his friends had left him alone with the entranced Raven. Things were happening, and he needed to be alone so he could think about it.

He was hurting. His side burned, stabs of pain crashing into him with a regular rhythm, in sync with her breathing. His face and head were a mass of agony, his insides felt like someone had ripped his guts out, tied them into knots and then slammed them back in.

He glanced at her. _I am feeling her pain,_ he thought. _Why?_

He did not mind. After all, she was hurting because of _him_. Because she risked her life to save him. He knew it was dumb, but he couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt. He almost welcomed the pain, as some kind of deserved punishment, as a way of atoning for being responsible for it.

 _She was hurt because of me._

That thought hurt more than any physical pain. The green otter rose on its hind legs and rubbed its face with its forepaws, then hopped off the bed and morphed back into himself.

He watched her, aching to take her into his arms. He leaned on the bed beside her, careful not to disturb her.

 _I'm being an idiot. I would've done the same thing for her._

He scratched the back of his head. _Now where did that thought come from?_ It was true, of course, there was no question about it, but somehow it felt like it wasn't him that thought of it, more like something from… _outside_ … was making him think it. He sighed, shaking the feeling off, continuing his internal monologue.

Cyborg was right, as usual. He always did have a soft spot for her. And yet… it was a crush, an attraction, nothing that could compare with what he was feeling now.

It was the lifting of the veil, the looking behind her mask that did it, he realized. It was finding out that her cold, stoic exterior was just a suit of armor, worn both to keep her safe from the world and to keep the world safe from her. There was a sensitive, caring, generous soul beneath it. Beautiful and selfless.

He became aware of a feeling of embarrassment and annoyance. Startled, he looked at her, realizing that she somehow knew of his musings and was reacting to them.

"Rae?" he whispered.

She did not move or answer, still in her trance. He smiled.

 _Of course. The pain… If I can feel her, she can feel me. More so, since she's an empath._

"No reason for you to get angry at me" he said, still whispering, an amused smile still on his face.

The sense of annoyance was diminished, but it was still there.

"I know that I don't need to tell you this" he whispered on, as if sharing a secret, even though they were alone in the silent infirmary. "But I love you. Don't get mad at me because I love you."

Her discomfort flared a little, then slowly vanished. There was a sense of peace and contentment, as a soft, warm, glowing blanket of love reached from her, wrapping around his soul, filling him with joy.

"Good to know" he smirked. Playful, mock anger sparked at him.

His smile widened and he closed his eyes, opening up his soul and slowly pouring out his love into her. The pain subsided, the emotions that he was projecting making it more bearable.

"Sleep. Heal. I'll be here" he whispered finally, transformed into a green mongoose and curled up beside her. She lay in her trance, a tiny, imperceptible smile on her lips.

* * *

Changeling left the infirmary only for a few minutes in the next thirty hours. Besides a couple of unavoidable trips to the bathroom, the only place he went was to his room to get the books that Raven gifted him and some other things. As he waited for her to heal herself, he alternated between reading, listening to music and sleeping, curled in the form of a small animal beside her.

The bruises on her face slowly faded away, the cuts closing and leaving behind pale, unblemished skin. For a long stretch of time he stared at her, studying every part of her face; the shape of her eyebrows, the curve of the pale lips, the soft swell of her cheeks. He took his drawing pad and a soft pencil and started working.

His usually bold strokes were much gentler now. Her face started appearing on the paper with an unreal, ethereal quality. He worked quickly and surely, without thinking. The pencil flew and the finger rubbed gently as the drawing slowly took its final shape.

A critical look, a few more lines of the pencil and rubbings of the finger and another appraising look. It was the best he'd ever done.

He frowned, dropped the pad and the pencil on a desk, dismissing it.

 _It's not good enough. I'll never be able to…_ I'm _not good enough._

He sighed and looked at the discarded drawing. Something made him pick it up and study it carefully. A feeling of wonder passed through him as he looked at it, a sense of astonishment at the end result. He understood and smiled.

 _You like it?_ he thought.

He felt affection and gratefulness flow into him.

 _It's just a very rough approximation._

Exasperation and slight annoyance. Embarrassment.

 _But you are, you know. The most beautiful girl I've ever seen._

The annoyance increased. Shyness… He looked at her, seeing two small pink spots gracing her unmoving features.

 _Why? That's the way I see you. Not that I can hide it from you. Not that you can't feel it._

The pink spots on her cheeks deepened, spread.

He chuckled. _If anyone should feel embarrassed it's me. I still can't understand what you see in me._

Again he felt the urge to look at the drawing. Again he sensed the affection and the amazement.

 _It's not a big deal._

Irritation. Frustration. Love.

 _OK, OK, if you say so. Just don't get mad._

The frustration receded to a slight annoyance at his stubbornness, almost drowned in tenderness. He smiled, bent over her and kissed her gently.

"I love you" he whispered. "I'll never get tired of saying it."

* * *

Several hours later, he was woken up by her hand gently stroking and scratching behind his ears. He lifted his head, nuzzled her and ran a dry, raspy tongue over her cheek. She frowned at him, but her eyes were full of affection.

He morphed into himself, forgetting he was curled up at the edge of the bed. The sudden increase in weight tipped the infirmary bed over and brought it crashing down. He fell on his back, Raven dropping on top of him with a startled cry. The breath whooshed out of him with the impact.

For a second he panicked, afraid he had hurt her, reopened her wounds, made it worse.

"I'm fine, Gar. You cushioned my fall. Again."

Her words calmed him slightly, but it was the feeling going through him that told him everything was all right. He felt that she still ached all over and she was obviously not fully healed, but there were no consequences from the fall.

She was lying on top of him, her slight weight pressing him into the hard, unyielding floor. It was awkward. It was also… nice.

"Rae?"

"Hmmm?"

"You're lying on top of me."

"I do think I am."

"Um… I'm on the floor."

"And?"

"I would like to get up."

She looked at him, her eyes glowing, then lowered her head on his chest.

"No. I'm too comfortable."

"But I…"

"Too bad. I'm going to take all the advantages I can."

He scratched his head, wondering what to do with his arms.

"You could hug me."

He blushed and did as she asked. She sighed and burrowed her head deeper.

Aware of the pressure of her body on his, he squirmed slightly. He could feel her warmth, sense her breathing, smell her scent. His heart started beating faster, his head grew a bit dizzy. He squirmed again.

She lifted her head, looked again into his eyes. He tried to kiss her. She placed a finger on his lips, preventing him.

"You're getting too frisky" she said. "I guess we should get up."

"Wait."

"Enjoying yourself?" she smirked.

"No… Yes, I am" he grinned. "But I wanted to ask you something."

She lifted an eyebrow, waiting for his question.

"I could feel you. Your pain, your emotions. We kind of talked…"

" _Communicated_ would be more precise. But yes, we did so."

"Well, that's what I wanted to ask. How? Why? Will it last?"

She lowered her head on his chest again. "Remember the bond I have with Richard?"

"The one that formed after you entered his mind? After he hallucinated that Slade was after him?"

"Yes. I was in his mind for a few seconds. It was enough to create a bond between us. He can sense what I feel, sometimes know what I think."

"But you weren't in my mind… wait, what happened? I don't remember anything after we kissed."

"We melded. We were one being for a while. Our bodies and our souls became one. It also created a bond between us. Much stronger than the one I have with Richard."

"Whoa."

"That's one way of putting it" she said, turning her face up and giving him a quick kiss.

"So you know everything about me" he said, suddenly uncomfortable.

She raised her head, gazed into his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Gar. It was the only way for us to fight out of that place."

His arms tightened around her. "If it was anyone else, I'd be concerned. You, I'm glad."

She lowered her head again. "I saw much, Gar. You also saw much, but you can't remember."

He closed his eyes. "It's… strange. I can feel my arms around you, almost as if I'm hugging myself."

"I know" she said, kissing his collarbone, making him shiver. She shivered in response.

"Will this… last?"

"The bond I have with Richard has been going on for years. I can't see this one getting anything but stronger with time."

He grinned at her. "So that means no secrets between us, I guess."

"None" she said, her head still buried in his chest. He felt apprehension build up in her.

"Raven."

She looked at him. He took her head in his hands and gently kissed her.

"Nothing could make me love you less."

Her love reached out to him, just as his own burst out. The two feelings touched, merged, whirled around them, infused them both. His arms embraced her harder.

"We should get up" she said after a few seconds. "Otherwise someone will come in and see us, and that would be awkward."

She rose and offered him her hand, helping him up.

"We should go and tell the others" he said. "They'll be happy to know you're well."

"I could use some breakfast, too."

"Maybe we can get Vic to make us waffles?"

"Mmmmm. Waffles!" she purred.


	14. Chapter 14

An ecstatic squeal greeted them as they entered the Ops room, a streak of red and orange flashing towards them, resolving itself into Starfire embracing Raven, shouting her joy.

"Friend Raven! It is so good to see you in the recovered state! I was having much of the worry for you!"

"Careful, Star! She's not completely healed!" Changeling shouted, alarmed. "Please don't hurt her!"

Starfire gave Raven a quick kiss on the cheek, then turned on Changeling and hugged him instead.

 _Maybe I should… turn into… a turtle!_ he thought as he felt his ribs creak alarmingly under the assault.

"You are most correct, friend Changeling, but I am overcome with the joy and the happiness!"

The sheer intensity of Starfire's joy saturated Raven's empathic sense, overflowing to Changeling and leaving him dazed. Raven smirked. _Here's someone that'll need to learn to meditate._

Starfire released Changeling from her hug, turning to Raven and grabbing both her hands, leading her away.

"Friend Raven, you must tell me everything now. I am having the small anger with you because you told the fullness of the story to friend Jinx first. I shall not wait the second longer!"

The two girls floated away towards Starfire's room. Garfield looked after them, grinned and walked over to the couch, sitting in it with a satisfied sigh.

Nightwing walked over and sat beside him. He looked at Cyborg, catching his eye. Cyborg frowned, nodded and walked over to sit on the other side of Changeling.

"Gar, we need to talk" Nightwing said with a neutral voice. Changeling looked at him.

"I guess I'm in trouble. When you try to be so neutral, it usually means bad news."

Nightwing chuckled. "Am I that obvious?"

Changeling and Cyborg nodded and replied in unison.

"You are."

Nightwing grinned at them, then his face got serious. He sighed. He didn't like what he was about to do, but it had to be done.

"Gar, when we found you, you were naked and Rae was wounded. This is not a coincidence. Did it happen again?"

Changeling looked at Nightwing without flinching.

"It probably did, Richard, but as before, I have no recollection of it."

Lifting an eyebrow in surprise at Garfield's brutal honesty, Nightwing continued.

"That only serves to confirm it, you know."

"I do."

"Now wait here, you two" Cyborg said, concerned. "The evidence is purely circumstantial. We should ask Raven –"

"Vic, this is not a court of law, and I'd prefer keeping her out of this if possible" Nightwing cut him off. He turned back to Changeling.

"Can you tell me about what brought it on?"

"I'm… not sure."

"Then tell us everything that happened. Maybe we can figure something out."

"It's… personal, Richard."

"Of course it is. It is also extremely dangerous and unpredictable."

Changeling sighed. "All right. I'll tell you."

He looked up, frowning, trying to remember as clearly as possible, then launched himself into the story.

"Rouge brought Rae over. I was in the containment cell, wearing disabler handcuffs. The cell was enclosed by a plasma field. I think it was a Level Five containment unit."

Nightwing whistled softly. "They must have prepared it for Raven."

Changeling glanced at him, a crooked grin on his face. "What, you think I don't merit one?"

Nightwing's cheeks reddened slightly. "No, I…"

Changeling lifted a hand, dismissing him. "No matter. She brought Raven over and showed her that I was alive and well. She then ordered her to put on disabler handcuffs, threatening to kill me if Raven didn't. Rae complied, and it left her helpless, and then Rouge…"

He swallowed and took a deep breath.

"She started… beating her up. Mercilessly. Sadistically. She hit her in the face, the gut, the side." Changeling's eyes started glowing with rage. "She didn't care where she struck. She used her fists, her feet. She strangled her, threw her against the wall." His fists were clenching and unclenching. Nightwing glanced meaningfully at Cyborg.

"Easy there, lil' buddy" Cyborg spoke soothingly. "She's safe and recovered now."

"I know, bro. Thanks!" Changeling smiled at his friend, then looked ahead, not focusing on anything in particular. His voice became soft and murderously intense. "If I ever get my hands on that bitch…"

Nightwing's hand squeezed his shoulder in sympathy.

"So you were still… yourself?"

Changeling shook himself and grinned wryly. "I guess you could say that. I kinda lost it then, but I was still… me. I threw myself at the plasma field, trying to help her. It burned me and bounced me back. I figured out I was only feeding Rouge's pleasure, so I tried to calm myself and not… hear… the sounds…"

His fists clenched again, the rage and hatred aglow in his eyes.

Changeling fought down his fury. "In the end, she got tired of it. She threw Rae into the cell and left us, telling us that it was just a taste of things to come. She was going to torture us and then kill us."

"I saw Raven cough up blood. I realized she was… wounded. I managed to prop her up… I could smell her blood…"

He took a deep breath, again striving to calm himself.

"So far so good, Gar. You still have memories?"

"Yes. I was still… myself. Rae woke up, and she told me to… um… kiss her."

"She _what?_ " Cyborg asked, incredulous.

"Smart girl" Nightwing said. "Go on, Gar."

"That's it. I… don't remember anything after that."

"What, she kissed you and you…"

"No! She… I kissed her, and… she was hurt, she… I… I tasted her blood, and I… I don't know any more!"

"Good. I think it's pretty clear now."

They both looked at Nightwing, confused.

"Maybe clear to you, dude. I'm just in the dark as I was."

"Think, Victor. We're talking about stuff that relates to the deepest, most primal parts of the mind. Smell and taste. Garfield was enraged, so much that he threw himself at a plasma field, but he did not turn into the Beast. It was only _tasting her blood_ that unleashed it."

"What do you mean?" Changeling said.

"I mean that it's obvious that you need a combination of very strong emotions and a very powerful sensation, one that will go deep to touch your most primitive instincts, in order to rouse the Beast. I mean that we don't need to worry about the Beast showing up in the near future." Nightwing chuckled. "Victor's therapy worked pretty well, considering."

"So that means I'm off the hook?"

"You were never _on_ the hook, Gar" Nightwing said, gazing at the floor. "I had to grill you so I knew what to expect. I won't lie to you, I was concerned about it. But after I've seen what Starfire did… It dawned on me that it was stupid to worry about you turning into the Beast. If she could lose it like that… and we all know what Rae can do when _she_ gets angry." He smiled a wry smile. "Basically, we were already dealing with an alien and a half-demon that could be very unpleasant when distressed, so I realized, what's the big deal in having one metahuman on top of it? Even if it happens to you again, the best place for you to be is with us, where we can try to contain you and not hurt you."

"Uh… Thanks, Dick. I guess you're right."

"Of course I am. That's why they pay me the big bucks" he grinned, slapping Changeling on the back. "Now, I think I heard someone mention waffles?"

"Yeah, Chrome Dome, get your butt moving! And don't forget the non-dairy ones!"

"As much as you can stuff in that big mouth of yours, lil' buddy!"

* * *

Raven floated a foot off the floor in lotus position, thinking.

 _It is good to have a friend like Starfire. It certainly makes going to the mall easier. I swear by Azar, she knows every shop in there! But the important thing is that I found what I was looking for._

She glanced at the large package resting in a corner of her room.

 _Gar is going to be so happy… But I must keep myself from thinking about it. Our bond is so strong that he may sense I have a surprise for him. I don't want to ruin it. I want to watch as his eyes light up, sense his joy when he sees it._

She stretched her legs to the floor, releasing the levitation and crossing her room, reaching the nightstand. She picked up her hand mirror.

 _But now, I should prepare the greatest gift I have for him._

The portal opened and she stepped into Nevermore.

She walked up to the temple-like building, noticing all her aspects gathered around Yellow, waiting for her.

"You are all here, sisters? Good. You know what I want to do?"

"We do" Yellow nodded. "We all agree it's the best decision you ever made."

"I… think I should apologize to you all."

Yellow waved her hand dismissively. "Apologize to yourself? That's a novel concept."

"But you are not only me. All of you have your own… consciousness. Your personalities. When I created you –"

Yellow interrupted her again. "You have created us many years ago, in a bid for control. It was a 'divide and conquer' option, and it worked, until the needs of your soul made it unsustainable. Now it is time to end it and begin a new phase."

"I know" Raven said, sweeping her gaze over all of them, finally resting it on Yellow, who was obviously the chosen spokesperson. _Would that make her spokes-Raven?_ she wondered inanely. Pink giggled.

Raven sighed. "I now understand what Azar and my mother wanted to say. At first I thought that they only meant for me to embrace my dark, demonic side. But it was much more than that. I have divided my personality when I created you. It made it easier to control my feelings and it made it simpler to maintain the balance. I used you to separate, insulate myself from my emotions. But when those emotions became too strong, your own personalities interfered in my efforts to control you, and my powers would be unleashed with unpredictable results. It was like... an electric arc jumping between two electrodes when the voltage gets too high. It worked while my feelings were weaker, but now it is time for us to end it. It is time for me to become whole, and for you to become what you should have always been, a part of me."

"We all know that, Elder Sister. We all agreed that it was the only way we could… go on."

"You also know that this will destroy you?"

"We do. But it is my feeling – if you'll excuse my using that word – that it is not as bad as you think. After all, you will still have Knowledge, Wisdom, Rationality, Logic." She glanced at Pink, a slight grimace of distaste on her face. "You will still have Happiness, Joy, Silliness, Childishness, Innocence. And all others. We will live in these emotions. We will not disappear, but we will be much closer to you and to each other."

"Then it is decided" Raven said, relieved. "Shall we do it?"

"I'll go first!" Pink laughed, running up to Raven, taking both her hands and looking into her eyes. "Make him tell us jokes, sister!" she whispered, giggling. Her form became ethereal, entering Raven's body, fusing with it.

Orange yawned. "Whatever. Do I get to rest a bit?" She floated over, her body losing substance as she melded with Raven.

"Find us some teeth to kick in soon!" Green growled as she followed the others. Purple was silent as she glided over, stopping to stand in front of Raven. Their eyes met and understanding passed between them, without the need for words. She placed a caressing hand on Raven's cheek, then her touch disappeared as her incorporeal form entered Raven's body.

Yellow was next. She lifted an eyebrow at Purple's actions, then faced Raven and, in a very uncharacteristic gesture for her, winked at her as her ghostly form was absorbed.

"I'm… a bit scared" Grey whispered. Red placed a rough but protective arm around her shoulders.

"Don't be. I'll follow you soon. We'll be together."

Grey nodded, looked shyly at Raven and melded with her.

"How about that" Raven said. "Rage, Hatred and Bloodlust have a soft spot."

Red snapped her teeth at her. "What do you know? You have always looked at us as simple representations of your different aspects, never bothering to realize that we may be more complex than what you thought!" she hissed.

Raven nodded. "I know. That is why I wanted to apologize. I should have known it. Emotions never come alone. Love calls on Happiness, just as Fear can call up Anger."

"And what now? Will you chain me again, to keep me from causing harm? You can't be thinking of accepting me. I am our Father's legacy."

"You are" Raven replied. "But you are also what Starfire would call… 'Righteous Fury'. Protective Rage. Hatred of Injustice. Intolerance of Suffering. And you are the counterweight, the contrast, the obstacle that I must overcome and that will make me stronger. Just as Azar said."

"You have grown wiser, sister. His influence is beneficial, I see."

"He is the main reason I'm doing this."

Red nodded, her form losing substance, swirling around Raven and infusing her.

Raven bowed her head. Sadness overcame her.

She thought she could almost hear a giggle coming from deep inside her. She realized what Yellow had said was true. Her aspects were still there, but now they were a full part of her, not something that she could keep at arm's length. It was… a bit scary. And it gave her hope. The sadness left her.

Raven lifted her head and levitated, folding her legs in lotus position.

 _Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos!_

Seven pedestals appeared in front of the building. On each there was a representation of one of her aspects. A heart, a flower, a sword, a book. A figure of her wrapped in her cloak, the hood covering her face completely. Another figure of her, sleeping peacefully. And four red eyes.

"It is done" she said aloud as she stepped through the portal back into her room.

* * *

Just a few minutes after she returned from Nevermore, there was a knock at her door.

 _He felt it,_ she thought as she smiled. She opened the door with a telekinetic command and Changeling walked in.

His eyes searched for her, slowly accustoming themselves to the gloom.

"Rae? I felt something… you're different. There's something – Rae?" he gasped as he saw her.

She rose and walked towards him, her white cloak billowing behind her.

"You're… in white?"

"Yes. I am complete, finally."

"I felt something happen to you, and I knew it was something good, so I ran to see what it was, but I never imagined… What does that mean?"

"It's a long story, Gar. I'll tell it to you later. Right now, I have a couple of things for you."

He grinned. "Another gift? I don't see how you can top the last one!"

"Just because we share a strong bond doesn't mean there's not a lot still to be learned about each other" she said playfully. The package in the corner of her room was enveloped in black energy, rising from the floor and floating towards them.

"Let's start with this one."

Garfield grabbed the large package eagerly and for a few moments there was only the sound of tearing paper and a small blizzard of bits of packing falling around them.

"A guitar?" he said, a lump in his throat, looking at the metallic, guitar-shaped box.

She nodded. "Open it."

He opened the case reverently and took the guitar out. He studied it carefully and strummed a chord. Finding it already perfectly tuned, he quickly played a scale and then launched into _Romance Anónimo_.

As he finished, he looked at the guitar again.

"The sound is… _awesome!_ " The grin fell off his face. "Raven…"

"Yes?"

"This is a hand-crafted instrument" he said, his gaze serious as he watched her. "This does not cost less than… You could buy a car for this!"

"Then you should take special care not to sit on it!"

He suddenly grinned. "You betcha, mamma!"

He gently returned the guitar to its case and closed it. He took her face into his hands and planted a quick kiss on her lips.

"Thank you" he whispered.

"So, did I manage to top my last gift?" she asked, a spark of mischief in her eyes.

"Yes! No… I don't know!" He stammered, overcame with happiness.

 _It is all I hoped for. It is all I wished for,_ Raven thought as she watched him.

 _You have made me very happy, Rae,_ he answered voicelessly. _Even more if my happiness makes you happy, too._

"There's one more thing" she said aloud, the mischief now glowing in her eyes.

"I really can't see how much more –"

"Hush. Come here."

He sat on the bed beside her. "You've got something up your sleeve, Raven. What –"

She pressed her lips against his, her tongue darting, looking for entry. He opened his mouth and closed his eyes, overwhelmed again by the maelstrom of emotions that burst out of him, compounded now by the love that was flowing from her. Time stopped having meaning for both; there was nothing else in the world now but for the two of them, their feelings and their kiss.

After a couple of minutes they parted, breathing heavily, their hearts hammering, their minds dazed.

Garfield stole a quick look around her room. It was peaceful and quiet. No smashed windows, no broken lights, no whirlwind of loose items to rain down on them. A feeling of exultation flooded him as he understood.

"So, did I top the other gift now?"

"Oh, yeah, mamma. Come here. We have some catching up to do."

They embraced and lost themselves in the kiss.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

This ends the story of the Gifts. I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it. But I do want to mention a couple of things before I take my leave.

First, I must say that writing the story really made me much more comfortable with the idea of BB and Raven being together. I managed to do what I had set out to do unconsciously. It took me a while to realize it (just read my own words in the Author's Notes of the 1st chapter and compare it with my later comments!). I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm now a rabid fan of this particular ship, but it does make it much easier for me to accept it and I don't simply skip over stories that have them in the description like I used to (note that partial responsibility for this also lies with my friend Allen Blaster and his wonderful BBxRae stories. Thanks, Allen, and sorry for mentioning you without requesting permission. Hope you won't mind).

Second, I have a bunch of bits and pieces, ideas and concepts laying around that were not included in this story for many reasons. I will be posting soon a repository for all these one-shots and drabbles, so keep an eye out.

Finally, I wish to express my gratitude to all that have or will read, follow, favorite and review this story. A writer needs feedback, even if it's negative, because it means I have managed to move you, the reader. This is, I think, the highest aspiration of any writer. Special thanks to RPGPersona for his in-depth reviews and his ideas, to Allen for his continuing support and kind words and all the rest of you. Runner, you should really create an account so I can respond to your reviews directly!


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